


AionAI Law

by Mhor



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adult Content, Angst, Blood, Drama, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Feels, Good Android Ending, Interspecies Romance, Markus/Conner/Kara Survive, No graphic depictions of past abuse/sexual abuse, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Soft AU, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-02 21:42:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 100,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15805134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mhor/pseuds/Mhor
Summary: Takes place during and after android revolution.CyberLife sends an agent to assist their RK800 detective in the field. Her agenda and CyberLife's conflicted heavily, but she needed their resources and her position to help deviant androids. Living a double life was challenging and extremely dangerous, but now she finds herself distracted by affections for the same android detective she was assigned with.As she tries to encourage Connor to turn deviant she also grows enamored with him, complicating everything she does. Desperate to protect herself, Connor, and deviants she shields from CyberLife she balances on a thin line.Her work to help deviant androids puts her on the opposite side of Hank and Connor during their investigations. Eventually, they come to a head when certain evidence is brought to light. While Hank has come to the conclusion that android equality is what's right, Connor still fights to follow his programming, and she has to keep her activities out of CyberLife's sight.[Slight canon changes, main events mostly unchanged, timeline extended. Rated M for language, violence, and sexual content.]





	1. Askew

**Author's Note:**

> Story will start some time before 2038, detailing certain pieces of information. Then it will skip to 2038 during the timeline of Detroit: Become Human.  
> The D:BH story timeline is rather short all things considering, so it might be elongated in several places.  
> This is like a soft canon altered story. The canon things are all still there, but there are some additions, story events, things that change events or the results of certain events in D:BH.
> 
> I hope to preserve what makes us all love D:BH so I will be working carefully part by part. I hope everyone enjoys the read.  
> As the tags state: Yes, this is a Connor romance fic. Yup, I'm so original I know. Just love that innocent lil' droid. Can't help it.  
> There is violence, eventual sexual content, and other general things that I hope make the story interesting or exciting to the reader. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deviant hunter operating under the radar with CyberLife's support witnesses a disturbing scene involving a destroyed deviant.

A street spotlight shone down on the body of a ruined android. Thirium pooling onto the road and sidewalk, reflecting sharply off the light. Skin had long since failed, shattered parts strewn about like a gore.

She inhaled from an electronic cigarette, looking over the body. Some thirium spotted her clothing and she knew she had to get them thoroughly cleaned. While thirium does fade over time, on material it can leave dark stains. For now her white uniform was being washed out by the metallic rain, running lines of blue blood and clear rain down her face.

"Meine. Report on incident #93-B. HR400 'Richard' #429-344-920 from XXXquisite has been destroyed. HR400 'Richard' self destructed, leaping from highway overpass." She removed the cigarette from her mouth, exhaling a deep sigh. "Note on incident file #93-B; HR400 'Richard' plead for life. Possibly a defective social empathy software, maybe a corrupted system, or unseen damage. Recommend technicians focus on social and perception software."

After a moment of Meine's LED spinning, it turned to her. "Report filed." Meine stepped up to the figure, arms clasped behind its back.

"Bring the car around. It's time to get out of here." A long breath of smoke filled the street light. The cigarette dropped to the ground and the figure gritted the ember out. "We're lucky this went so well."

The android's ring flickered yellow to show it had finalized the report. It was in the books now, they would have to answer questions upon their arrival at the office.

"I will bring the car around." Meine turned and walked away from the dark scene. Lightning cracked in the distance and rain just started to sprinkle down, a much bigger storm on the horizon.

 _At least we got done when we got done. Don't want to be out in a storm if I don't have to be._ A few more strikes of lightning flashed, the body on the ground pooling blood. It would not leave a stain, but they would have to pick up the body and deliver it.

The figure stepped into the light, putting a foot on the back of the body.  _Poor dumb bastard._ Black hair shone in the weak street light, pale skin as a sharp contrast, and bright white clothing completely unfitting to be hiding in the dark.

The person was female, relatively tall, donning reflective white clothes and jacket with plastic sections. Though her companion, Meine, had the temple LED and markings of an android the woman did not. Though it was hard to tell, her straight black hair acted like private curtain to hide her face. She was not stern; she was thinking.

This android, an HR400, was built to be a sexual partner. It was an unspecified Asian male design ordered for a local android brothel under fire for using second hand androids. It was partially true, but this android was not purchased from unverified sellers. It was bought from CyberLife directly and they charged extra for the pleasure. The other used models were a little older, yet had been handled with proper maintenance so it was perfectly safe for use. Did not mean people were not apprehensive still - the word  _used_  when referring to a sex android was unfavorable at best.

Deviants as they were so called had been cropping up more and more lately. It was not restricted to a singular model either. A deviant could be a household android, a sex partner, or a construction worker. She had seen so many different types, some deemed deviants largely due to damage to their bodies and others… others just are not the same.

The hum of her car reached her, she saw the lights nearing. She backed out of the street light as the car same to a soft stop beside her. Meine opened the door and approached her.

"Meine, load the deviant's body in the trunk. They'll want the evidence." She leaned on the car. "No clean up needed this time, there's no alerts in the area. We're clear to get out of here."

The android nodded and went to lift the body. She went around back, opening the trunk with a touch. She waited to hear the crunch of gravel under Meine's feet as he carried the extra weight of the HR400 around to the back. He saw the trunk open, leaned under the door and dropped the deactivated body. The thirium is thankfully a non staining chemical, it will fade soon after it drops from the android.

Meine closed the trunk and headed around the side, opening the door for his owner. She sat down and Meine entered the other side. They were done here and the autonomous car took off.

She relaxed into the seat, tired after a long day. It was a long week truly, this HR400 made some decent distance before they were put on the task of clean up. So many teams had been put to work lately it had been the talk of the office for quite some time.

Meine sat silently staring forward. The android was not allowed to carry weaponry inside areas where they would have to use a public face. This area of town was old, poor, not a lot of security in the area and in the middle of the night it was highly unlikely they would be spotted. There was no punishment for being seen or discovered, they just wanted to save face. Their jobs were to find deviants and control the damage they do, though the reason they were out there is due to the deviants having already done damage.

They were limited, but it was not impossible to contain some events.

The HR400 they chased had attacked a man, a human man. With a broken arm, concussion, and some various superficial wounds. The android did more damage along its path, nothing that would as written about in news articles though.

She was tired, it was late at night and they had been working for over twelve hours to finally get this deviant. In the end, as most of these deviants do, it caved under pressure of being caught and found the means to destroy itself, on its own terms. She had enough knowledge of androids to know how the commercial models function.

Meine was a little different, capable of handling more stress than the average android. It, like others of its model, are meant for combat. While she stood as one of the heads of this division she needed an android capable of dealing with deviants she could not.

The car slowed to a stop at the entrance. Meine lowered his window to let the guard inspect the visitors.

"Authorization?" He peered inside, "Welcome back." He nodded towards her on the far side of the vehicle. They all knew each other, working together for a few years did not mean she could get through without a security check though.

Meine's LED lit yellow for a moment before softening back to blue. "We are returning a deactivated HR400 android deviant for disassembly."

"Alright, you know how it's done. See you tomorrow." He backed away from the car and the window closed.

The large white section gate opened by lowering parts of the wall into the ground. CyberLife spared no expense, most of the higher ups believed that their appearance was as important as their product. She glanced over to Meine beside her, a physically perfect plastic human. The model was very strong, much stronger than her without a doubt, and it was not particularly hard to look at.

All CyberLife androids were attractive in the conventional sense, it was somewhat of an unspoken rule behind designing the appearance of all models. Even if they were simply for construction or various odd jobs; have to make them beautiful too look at.

She grinned as the car stopped in front of the CyberLife facility. Meine stepped out, went around the vehicle, and opened the door for her. Stepping out, Meine returned to the vehicle. "I will return to your office once I have checked the deviant with security." The door closed.

 _It really doesn't need to tell me that every time._  She left without a word and entered the massive stark white building. Everything was polished to perfection, not a single mark on any wall or stain on any piece of furniture. It was constantly maintained by hundreds of janitorial androids always keeping the place presentable. Not that CyberLife often needed to impress, this was a general facility largely meant for everyday employees.

The hard soles of her boots clacked on the floor as she made her way across to the elevator. Her spotless white clothing matched this building, truly blending her into these surroundings. The elevator door opened and from it came a man around her height with short blonde hair and a sharp dark suit. He was holding a case and obviously in a rush.

She gave a lazy wave. "Good evening, Leon." He looked up, seeing her heading towards him. Quickly, he held his arm out to hold the elevator realizing she was coming back to the office after a long day out. Damage control was an exhausting field, he figured she was just spending a long time out today.

"Hey, good evening." He smiled a nervous greeting. "I'm heading out for the night, long day?" He asked, waiting patiently for her to cross the lobby to catch the elevator.

"Not much longer than usual. Desk keeps piling up with clean up work orders - feels like it'll never slow down." She stepped into the elevator, nodding her head towards him to thank him.

His brow furrowed, "Yeah, that's how it feels. Trust me, our HR team is working overtime. Not to mention the guys up in control. Things are getting tense." He seemed more thoughtful than she expected, but was quick to move on. "Anyways, have a good night. I'll catch you in two weeks. Remember - me and the wife are going on vacation so I don't want to see any calls complaining about those work orders."

A light playful scoff, "Oh, just get out of here. Have a nice trip, tell Lucia hi from me." With a final wave he headed off and she started the elevator. She hated heights but had grown accustomed to the CyberLife lobby elevator. The moment she passed two stories she closed her eyes and waited patiently.  _Fucking CyberLife obsessed with big open areas like this. They know what they're doing, fear of heights and falling are so common._  She just tapped her foot on the ground until the elevator slowed to a halt. Her heart jumped for a moment as she attempted to ignore how high up she was.

 _Finally_. She stepped out of the elevator and made a beeline to her office. The glass walls sectioned off her office from the others, as she entered she pressed the lock and the windows blurred the inside for privacy.

Geometric desk, patterns, designs, and decorations. She did not choose anything here, but she did love the style; it was an added bonus. CyberLife spared no expense when it came to the architecture of their facility. They also spared no expense when it came to paying off their high level employees. She was no exception, they paid her excellently.

She entered the office, the door slid closed behind her and the lights clicked on. A window wall overlooked the sheer height of the tower. It was disorienting and she often kept it shaded so she did not feel so unbalanced. She had no idea why people seemed so obsessed with extreme heights, skyscraper top floors, hotels top floors; the most expensive and luxurious spots tended to be the very top. She sat down at her desk, glancing to the shaded window, and thought that it was complete bullshit.

Her desk lit up, the monitor raised and immediately brightened on her return. It was a security risk for any  _sensitive_ data to be unlocked, when her monitor was lit she had to use the scanner a foot away that was built into the desk in order to unlock it. A password lock alone was unacceptable for CyberLife employees above the average bar; extremely unacceptable for one that handles potentially illegal business on behalf of the company. It was unspoken of course, but she knew handling deviants that injure or kill humans was likely illegal had anyone considered it truly possible yet.

A malfunctioning android is one thing, everyone sees countless broken androids experiencing errors that interrupt their programming. It was the few that were in perfect condition, not even a small error in their systems... they were the concern that could change public opinion of androids. Everything was prone to issues, androids were only powerful machines that had a human face. Since they are subject to public approval for commercial and private use it was important to keep tabs on the androids causing unique issues.

This HR400 was one of those.

She brought up the files they had on this specific HR400 ready to close it out.

She sighed, the android made it easy for them. It did not attack, it only fled. Once their witness reported the android in her area it was relatively simple to follow. Her and Meine jumped on the trail and found the HR400 five blocks down showing signs of low thirium. Once they approached it, the android self destructed. It leaped off an overpass and was destroyed upon landing.

Meine was exceptionally useful in this situation. The Myrmidon was given to all teams hunting potentially dangerous defective androids. It was faster, stronger, and more durable than the average consumer model like the HR400. Meine chased it down before the HR400 jumped.

The sliding of her office door snapped her out of her focus. She saw her personal android Meine enter the room, sure to close and lock the door behind it. "I have delivered the defective HR400 android to disposal. It was successfully logged." It stood by the door, arms behind its back. It was far too late for other employees to be here, not the average desk worker anyways. She suspected a few other damage control teams were still out if not submitting their work for the night. Meine stood completely still, like some cross between a bodyguard and a soldier.

Hearing it confirm delivery, she closed out the incident file. It was a completed order and she was glad to be done with it. A much easier case than average, most of the defective androids were dangerous. They suffered significant damage which resulted in irrational and potentially fatal actions. Their processes were compromised at the best of times and threatening at the worst.

She pushed away from the desk. There was a lot to think about, but she wanted to go home and rest now. Meine would handle anything else for the night since it already delivered a complete video report of the HR400's self destruct.

"It's almost time to head home, Meine." A long yawn and stretch, "Anything else to report for the evening before we finalize these documents?" She kicked her feet up on the desk, clearly trying to relax more into the rather uncomfortable office chair CyberLife standard for private offices.

Meine's LED flickered yellow for a moment. "Incident is completed. The HR400 self destructed so there will be no further required information from interrogation of the android. No injuries sustained from android beyond initial incident." It's LED turned back to a soft blue. "There does not appear to be any further required information. If you would like to return home I will retrieve the car."

"Not yet... I wanted to look at something." She dropped her feet off the desk and pulled back up to the desk. "I want to look at something, I want to see your recording of the HR400 before it jumped. Come here, Meine."

The android complied immediately, approaching his owner. It stood beside her, placing a hand on the desk as its skin faded to reveal the white android shell. It brought the video up on her monitor and forwarded to the moment before the HR400 jumped.

"Play recording." She watched intently.

The HR400 came to a stumbling stop at the edge of the overpass. It was unfinished, no vehicles making their crossing a risk. The view was from Meine's vision, when Meine neared the HR400 she was quick to follow. Meine's view looked to see her approach, slightly soaked in the light rain.

"No-!" The android panicked, turning to see herself and Meine just behind him. He looked off the edge of the overpass and his surrounding area, no other path to take.

"HR400, you are required to return to CyberLife facility for manual diagnostic." The recording audio was slightly overpowered by the rain, but it was not too bad. "You are defective and are a threat to public safety. Shut down and wait for further instructions." She did generally attempt to order it; it was all for the recording though. She knew it would not listen to commands, that is why it was this position in the first place after all.

"You can't, please!" Neither of them listened.

Meine's HUD was blinking on standby, alerting that the android in front of them was dangerous and it would have to be prepared to defend itself and its owner.

The android was losing itself, pacing back and forth as it spoke to itself. "Please, you can't- you can't! Don't let them take me!" It looked to them, desperate, tears mixed with the rain to be indistinguishable. She watched it carefully, hoping to take it without getting hurt or having to repair Meine. The android was not meant to fight so Meine could easily overpower it. Still, she would avoid it if possible.

"Calm down, you are experiencing either hardware damage or software corruption. It can be fixed back at the facility once they figure out why you went defective. You'll be reset and everything will go back to normal." This was not what it wanted, but again she had to sell it. Attempt to bring it in without further damage, that's all that mattered at this point. Just getting things done.

"I- I- You-!" It seemed to hyperventilate, it was stressed out and would soon not be able to handle the pressure. It would either self destruct or attack and force them to put it down. "Please..."

The rain picked up, thunder cracked in the distance, and the HR400 looked to Meine. She took a step forward, a gun in a holster ready to fire should she need it. The android's eyes flicked to her but fell back on Meine. "Please... I don't want to die." She paused, alarmed at the statement though glad the recording had not captured her reaction. Meine's view zoomed in on the android who had this pleading expression, its hands up, and its chest heaving. "I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't. I just couldn't. I didn't kill anyone, I don't want to hurt anyone. Please, please don't kill me."

It was heartfelt, it felt so genuine. As if there was pain in that android's voice, an emotion she had never heard been used before. When an android is damaged or is in a bad situation it just turns robotic, very monotone. This was nothing like that, nothing like it was supposed to be. This was the plea of a dead man.

Something about this behavior unnerved her even more. Something about this defective android's voice... the depth behind it - she dared not say aloud, yet the tone frightened her. In response she started to reach for her gun and the android hit critical stress.

The HR400 simply let itself fall backwards; it went out on its own terms.

It fell, they watched, and that was the end of the assignment. The recording finished.

Leaning back in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face. She brought her hand up to her face, her fingertips tapping her lips. No android ever begged for their life, they never pleaded with her or any of the other cases she reviewed. No matter the anomaly there was never sincerity behind an android's words. No life, just facts. Defective usually resulted in abnormal tone, behavior, errors in knowledge or processes, and a warped sense of reality around the android. But begging? She pursed her lips, her brow furrowed - something was plain wrong about this.

"Meine, what do you think about the HR400 today?" She asked, curious. Her critical eye falling on the android at her side.

The question was not standard and it responded as if it read from a script. "The HR400 was a risk to any human within range. It was handled as effectively as possible and resulted in the HR400 self destructing." No depth to that answer, no emphasis anywhere. Just flat, direct, no nonsense. She took a deep breath, her visible disapproval of the answer prompted Meine to continue the discussion knowing its owner was less than pleased. "I apologize if that answer is not satisfactory. There did not appear to be any unique specifics about the HR400."

A beat passed before she acknowledged Meine. With a shake of her head she turned to look at Meine, still that expression between surprise and confusion. There was a lot going on there, nothing she explained. Meine concluded this was a complicated human emotion that it was not accustomed or equipped to decipher yet.

She stood up, her monitor locking the moment it detected her no longer present.

"What did you think about the HR400?" It returned the question back to its owner. Not quite understanding what was being said or asked. She was secretive, as usual, but usually she was comfortable enough to openly discuss her thoughts with Meine believing that it would not be able to report on her.

Without giving a real answer she stood up and gave it a tense smile. "We should go home. I'm thinking about taking a few days off."


	2. Awkward Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isadora keeps up the CyberLife employee appearance uncomfortably while also adjusting to the company of the prototype RK800, Connor. They track down Hank Anderson after a day of waiting and searching she discovers Anderson as anti-android.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First days of investigation. Connor arrives at the DPD with a certain someone. ;)
> 
> Going to remind everyone-  
> Detroit: Become Human takes place over about 6 days. 6 days and the revolution is like... 4 of those.  
> I feel like that's a bit unreasonable so this story will take place over more time than that. The revolution will start later, last longer, and there will likely be more investigations and deviant hunts.  
> The game had a short timeline to avoid montages or dull gameplay I feel and I totally understand. I just don't feel like a revolution that would make humanity welcome a new form of sentient life would last a couple days before people were just like "Yeah ok."
> 
> So I guess be ready for that, it won't be exact. There will be additional segments in the story, both for Connor and the other androids we know and love in D:BH

Isadora exited the elevator, no Meine at her side. It was a little strange for the large android to not accompany her. This was private business, the new android prototype was supposed to be the focus of this work not Meine. She had dressed appropriately though the usual CyberLife attire might be strange in public. This is meant as a new face, her face, to plaster on papers working with the state of the art detective android.

She lifted a compact mirror, looking at herself as she headed to her vehicle. The android, as she was to understand, is being sent up now. It was ready. Let's hope. She pulled off a loose lash, making sure everything was in place. She had to look proper, perfect, everything people expect of a high rank CyberLife employee. White outfit, so white it could blind a person in direct sunlight. Her long straight black hair properly pulled back into a perfectly sleek and straight ponytail. Not an inch of imperfection, she had to have the very best and nothing less.

At CyberLife she was given some level of freedom for her work. They valued the position she maintained and the dignity in which she conducted her work. It was good for them, it was good for her.

The car pulled up to the front doors, ready to accept passengers. Automated vehicles were such a wonderful creation, though it was bound to take over the manual vehicles eventually. Meine would usually call the car for her, but this time she sent out her assistant to handle it. She called the car before she even made it to ground floor.

Isadora sighed deeply, she was not a people person. Her awkwardness might even rival an early model android fresh off the factory floor. However, when it came to her more lucrative work with CyberLife, the reclaiming of defective androids, she was persuasive, charming, and could work her way into almost anyone's home. She was sly, but this was not the same. Hunting defective androids had a solid goal that she could prepare for thoroughly. No on the moment smooth talk. She did her research, prepared, and organized her behavior to match that individual.

Things were not hard when she was given the chance to plan her path; it would be different now.

The car door was ajar and the lights on. It was not particularly late, but it was getting there. She groaned to herself. _Where the hell is this android?_ She entered the car, trying to situate herself. New car, not her favorite she's ever had. The cars changed a lot nowadays for security and privacy reasons. _Complicated. Always so complicated._

It was cold, rain coming down. _Why is it always fucking raining?_ She just was not in a good mood today.

She spotted movement out the corner of her eye and gave a dull gaze towards the figure. It was a man- no, it was an android. She figured that was her company for the day. Caucasian, brown hair, no facial hair or other features, and wearing all the usual android identifiers. The uniform was nonstandard though, definitely a unique design specifically made for this android.

He saw the car and she saw him consider this car for a moment, likely seeing her in the passenger and realizing it was the car waiting for him. Already he would know who she is, what she looks like, and know what her purpose is with him. Quickly making his way down the steps he entered what is technically the driver seat if they ever switched the car off autonomous.

The android assessed the vehicle and the other passenger while seating himself inside. It was interesting to see this prototype assess the position he was in. Unlike other models that had been around for some time; they could blend in with usual human movements in a more relaxed manner. The fresher the android the more robotic the movement it seemed.

"Hello, my name is Connor." _Oh man._ She resisted expressing her immediate discontent with him. "You are Isadora Saxon, correct?"

She nodded, keeping her face completely neutral. "Yes, that is correct. Just Isadora will be fine while we're out working. No need to be overly formal." She knew he would be. As a CyberLife employee a considerably rank above him he would use titles or address her in a business appropriate way. Something extra for androids. Meine used to do the same before she got tired of hearing it.

The android, Connor, paused momentarily before registering her statement. "Very well, I will remember that in the future."

Yes, I know you'll remember. Taking new androids into public civilian life was always like trying to hold a child's hand at the grocery store. You know they are going to stare at things longer than they need to.

"You know where we are going?" She assumed he did, but she was just double checking. It would be to good cover their task at hand again, hopefully to avoid any talks later when he undoubtedly gets confused when faced with unfiltered humans. It was bound to happen, no matter the android. This android was ahead of the curve for certain, he was nothing to dismiss out of hand. He is a prototype though, certain unexpected results might occur when faced with irrational people.

"We are going to the Detroit City Police Department to meet a Lieutenant Hank Anderson who is spearheading the investigation on the recent deviant cases." He answered factually. As usual her brimming conversationalist partner had to be another android. "CyberLife is sending me, a prototype RK800, to help assist the investigation. I hope I will be of use to the Detroit Police." A rehearsed line, something he is programmed to say. It was a generic statement still.

Isadora looked out the window, rain beginning to pick up again. Soon it would soak her to the bone if she stepped outside the car. The storming lately was causing some inconveniences. She had to leave her home more often since the house was located across a bridge. When the bridge flooded she would be stranded there until it calmed down. It was something of a personal preference, she greatly valued her privacy.

Yet it looked like tonight she would be staying at a local hotel. They would be working late anyways.

Connor was not initially talkative, he was reserved exactly as he is intended to be. Designed to work with humans often meant staying out of the way. She had not given him negative reactions so he is not remaining silent as a result of detective a hostile conversation. He seemed perfectly content just looking out the window. For whatever purpose he had a default expression that was welcoming. _Well, likely designed to encourage witness statements or appealing to a party experiencing guilt. So not without purpose then._

She closely examined his features. He was not hard to look at. Easy on the eyes for sure. Were he human he would be considered very handsome. Most androids were designed to be attractive even if their functions were not to be appealing to a human desiring companionship. It was mostly just for marketing and almost all prototypes were made to adapt to any requirements.

He wore a suit she had not seen any CyberLife androids wear. It was low profile as it could get since all androids had to wear identifiers. He was totally still, only rocking with the car. His model listed clearly on his right side, the RK800. A highly specialized android to complete a single task. A task he did not understand. CyberLife was far too careful to let an android carry information that sensitive.

There were multiple reasons she was joining the RK800. She could use any information on the deviants they encounter towards her private division while also affirming the RK800's performance so further models could be implemented in the police task force. It would provide far more information on a larger scale about the deviants. CyberLife was hoping to avoid good will, but they had to now. Looking at Connor, this was that first step.

Connor's head turned back towards the center console where he seemed to inspect the display. He did not show any strong facial expressions, mostly just neutral as he studied his surroundings. Meine was just like him when he was first activated. He quickly picked up on her watching him, to which he faced her meeting her entertained gaze. "Is there something wrong, Isadora?" _He remembered._ She glossed.

"No, nothing is wrong. I am observing your displayed behaviors. You're a prototype, it is important to CyberLife to make sure everything is in working order." It was a halfhearted answer, she was largely just appreciating his design. Aesthetics were the cornerstone of all androids.

"I can assure you I am fully operational. If you are concerned about my integration to the police department I have already taken cases with deviants and succeeded." Though there was no real inflection of tone. He only wanted to express his current condition.

Isadora shook her head slightly, "Not looking for your diagnostic or your capability. I was inspecting the design CyberLife has given you. You are, after all, one of the most advanced androids CyberLife has developed." Were he human he might be able to pick up that this was a compliment, in some strange fashion. However, as expected, he did not.

He merely accepted it as fact and made no more rebuttals.

The car ride was silent, she felt no need to confuse the android further. He was already working on processing things, she figured she'd let him do what he needed to do. She stared back out the window and frowned. _I wish Meine was here._

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 _Of all the inconveniences._ She growled, _Where the fuck is this asshole._ She and Connor had been searching for the last two hours. The police department didn't know where he was, he didn't show up for work and apparently that was not unusual. Isadora exited the third bar, the rain pouring down now. She stepped outside and was immediately drenched, Connor was too but did not have as many issues with it as she did.

"Son of a-" She gritted, withholding any work inappropriate comments. She entered the car, checking the location of the next closest bar. "Take the car here next, it's only twenty minutes away."

Connor took the address and merely had to touch the navigation panel of the autonomous car. Cautiously on the wet roads it drove away. Isadora's foot tapped impatiently as she pulled her hair in front of her, wringing it out like a wet rag. "Who did this investigation get assigned to in the first place?"

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson." Connor answered flatly. It took most of Isadora's self control not to give Connor the most cripplingly disappointed look she could muster.

"No, Connor. I mean what kind of character is this Lieutenant Anderson that he is not at work and his coworkers, and boss, know he is out at a bar instead of working? This is an important case, people's lives are at stake here." She struggled to get the wet hairs off her clothing, still trying to keep herself composed and failing already. Meine was her android companion, he was adjusted to her and they worked well together. She had no idea how to treat Connor knowing CyberLife was watching closely.

_Dammit Meine, I just need someone to talk to without someone else looking over my damn shoulder._ She took a deep breath and released. She was tense. "I can tell you are tense." Connor had this totally unassuming expression. Isadora looked at him, unable to resist giving him that frustrated look turned to deliver a silent sarcasm. Connor was unsure how to handle that and ended up just going quiet.

"Yes, tense is accurate, Connor." She threw him a bone at least. "I am more concerned about the quality of this investigation if the Lieutenant spends his time drinking. At the very least that could slow us down a considerable amount. Even with you, Connor, there is a limit."

"I am sure the Lieutenant will be helpful in this investigation." He said it with the upmost confidence. If she had not known better she would say she was talking to a child with such a hopeful attitude, unchanged by reality. Isadora leaned her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the cold of the rain sinking into her skin. She decided his wonder towards everything around him was rather endearing. Difficult to explain why his optimism was wrong, then again she rather liked this innocent android being curious. She preferred to just let him be.

The ride fell quiet again. When they arrived at the fourth bar, she got out of the car once more into the pouring rain. Connor was quick to join her on the sidewalk, looking up to the neon lights of yet another bar. This one called Stagecoach. Isadora shook her head and headed to the door, only to see a sign on the door. She glared at it viciously. "Closed due to health code violation? Of course." She turned back to the car.

"Should we attempt to call the Lieutenant again?" Connor offered, totally unconcerned with the rain. She straightened her jaw, turning her focus down the street. "It has been a some time since we last tried to contact him. Maybe he will answer now."

"I seriously doubt he will answer to anything less than a physical awakening. If he has been at a bar this entire time the man is likely to be wasted. Conducting any investigation with an inebriated officer will be challenging to say the least." She opened the car door, Connor followed suit. "Best case scenario we will have to deal with the stench of alcohol and trying to keep a man on his feet."

Connor put in the next local bar's address and the car took off. She was drenched again, the only saving grace was the warmth of the car and insulation of her clothing. It was not much and she figured if she would be spending a lot of time in the rain, she would reinvest in clothing that would protect from the rain a little better. _Bad day to be out bar hopping._ The rain leveled off it seemed, it was getting no heavier and she hoped that meant it would soon be stopping.

She did not know how to handle her situation. Hunting for deviants, a word that up until very recently CyberLife had been adamant about not using, with an android and a human officer. Herself and her teams had been able to handle most of the cases with very little failure or leaks of information. Teams would come and go, some new teams freshly out of training would be unable to keep up and often never made it passed their first or second mission. A few even lost their androids; how that happened Isadora could not understand. Meine never failed her, the only times he was harmed was due to her being unable to combat what was oncoming.

For now she was with a new android and not just a new android to her but a new android to the world. He had some successful field testing already, so she would not have to hold his hand to that extent. She would mark down anything he did or was incapable of doing and work from there.

Her mind trailed back to Meine. He would be at her home now, with Theodosia and Mia. Likely doing nothing of great importance, should he be curious while she is out of the house there was plenty of activities to keep him busy for weeks. He did always seem to enjoy the sound of the grand piano in the dining area, perhaps he will be playing that right now.

Isadora looked at her surroundings. _I wish I was there to listen._ She thought wistfully. Hunting a drunk cop was not something she thought she would ever be doing. Much less spent nearly an entire day doing so. The first few bars were an hour or more apart, but this bar was a bit away from the department. It was not the last on the list, there were a lot of bars in the city.

_Why are there so many goddamn bars? How many people in this fucking shit city are alcoholics? How do so many of these lowlife shit bars stay in business? Restaurants have bars too; bars, dining, liqueur stores - who buys all these piss flavored drinks?! Fuckface drunks drink to damn anything. Someone sneezes, cheers, time for another round of fucking garbage water drinks!_ Her internal ranting was always snappy. She vented to herself so when she spoke she did not feel the need to yell. A skill she learned over a few years was how to filter her internal shit talk to proper, professional dialogue. Appearing calm and collected at all times, but inside her she sounded like a drunk sailor that just discovered his wife was sleeping with his best mate.

As they neared the bar, Isadora worked on preparing her critical appearance so she would not accidentally rip the head off this cop. The car slowed down and they exited the vehicle once more. _Jimmy's Bar, wow, what a creative fucking name._ She crossed the street, hoping this would be the last bar hop they would have to do. She wanted to get to work, make progress, and go home. They had to fix the deviant problem and she needed to be able to focus on her position as team operator at some point. She had a plan, but it would not be easy to execute. She had to play her cards just right.

She straightened her top and corrected her posture. They both inspected the door, a sign reading _No Androids Allowed_ in big print. It was a warning that neither Isadora or Connor cared to heed. With a roll of her eyes she pushed the door open, the welcome ring alerting the bartender and the bar patrons someone had arrived. Isadora kept a stoic look on her face, completely dismissing the judgmental thoughts of drunks. These people were not the people she cared to impress. However, Connor was immediately singled out by the crowd.

A clearly marked android walking into an anti-android bar. _Perfectly safe._ She thought to herself. _I wonder what they would do if I was not accompanying him. It'd be ridiculous to let an android enter an anti-android establishment filled with angry drunks alone._ She would be surprised if they did not damage him just for approaching the door.

They did not comment once they entered, the bar was cramped and dark; reeking of sweat, booze, and smoke. She did her best not to touch anything in the building. The bar offended every one of the senses. Bars were not the problem, it was the people that resided within that often caused the issue. This was no exception.

Connor took initiative by searching the patrons for Lieutenant Anderson while she waited. He did have the ability to scan all these people and she did not. It would be less intrusive to let him do it rather than for her to ask around.

She did however walk down the isle so she could get out of the way of the front door should there be anyone coming or going. Taking a quick glance around she realized none of these people looked like they would be going anywhere anytime soon.

One person at a time she could see Connor's LED blinking blue to show he was processing information on the people.

"Shit, I thought androids weren't allowed in here." The first comment came. She resisted a glare at the spiteful patron and opted to ignore further comments.

The more people Connor passed the more she believed he was in a bad position should any of these people be drunk enough to make mistakes. Connor neared the bar, one of the patrons turning his bar stool around to provoke him. "What's your problem?" He snapped and Connor ignored him completely. Not giving the drunk man a second of his time.

She smirked, Good. Let him stew in his own self hatred. She watched Connor approach a man directly. That must be him. Sure enough Connor leaned over to address him.

Isadora paused a moment. _Oh fuck he's an anti-android bastard, isn't he?_ She resisted a loud drawn out sigh to express her frustration. Of course the drunk cop we need to aid the investigation is anti-android. _Of fucking course. This day cannot get worse, can it?_ She neared the two, hoping things would actually smoothly for once.

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the station, but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar." He said it so easily, as if this cop had not wasted their time. She truly wanted this to go well, so she made herself known hoping to keep this Lieutenant from exclaiming any of his anti-android beliefs.

"And I'm Isadora Saxon here to track progress of the investigation and performance of Connor." He seemed alright with her, likely since she is human. He did not move that much though, yet he did not appear to be hammered.

"What do you want?" It was a question that almost sounded like a intelligible grunt.

Connor continued, "You were assigned a case earlier this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android." Connor had little to no emotional response to Anderson's uncaring demeanor. He gave him the time he needed to formulate a proper response. Isadora hoped it was a tolerant response. "In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist the investigators."

Immediately, Anderson proved her hopes wrong. "Well I don't need any assistance. Especially from a plastic asshole like you." He waved his hand, "So just be a good lil' robot and get the fuck outta here."

Connor spared her a look, something that was asking for help. Isadora figured she could lend a hand before she let Connor handle the rest. He would be doing most of the investigative work anyways. "Lieutenant, we need you for this investigation. It is imperative that figure out what happened with that CyberLife android. It could help people, potentially save lives down the line."

He ignored her and took a sip of his drink. She frowned, he was not specifically ignoring Connor as an android. _There's more going on here._ She kept her observations to herself, but in her experience someone acting this dismissive towards everyone, android or not even when claiming to be anti-android, they are usually hiding an underlying issue. It would do more harm than good to voice that assessment though.

"I understand some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids, but I am-" Connor's attempt to see Anderson's perspective was quickly cut off.

"I am perfectly comfortable.." He leaned up, trying to display his aggressiveness. "Now back off before I crush you like an empty beer can!"

Isadora shared another look with Connor. She could not convince him to budge, he had a sour attitude and she was sure she'd only make it worse. It was a good test of Connor's human interaction and problem solving software though. It appeared Connor targeted Anderson's vice and used it against him. "You know what? I'll buy you one for the road. What do you say?" Connor saw Anderson's gaze move to him, it was a positive behavior. "Bartender, the same again, please."

With a grin, Isadora felt a bit proud of Connor for solving an abrasive human. People were irrational, but Connor found an approach to get the Lieutenant in a good mood with them. _Good thinking._

"See that, Jim? Wonders of technology." Anderson shifted on the bar stool while Connor took out some cash to give to the man at the bar. "Make it a double."

The man, Jim as Anderson called him, poured him another drink and he gladly tossed it down. A satisfied ah and Anderson leaned back to look at Connor. "Did you say homicide?" Anderson grinned, completely pleased with himself. Connor more so knowing he got the Lieutenant to go with them without their bitter meeting effecting their interactions.

Isadora nodded to Connor and headed to the door. Anderson slid off the bar stool and checked his coat before joining them. Connor stepped out first followed by Anderson. He was a little pungent, but she was thankful he came around. Connor being able to befriend or get on his good side would count towards a lot since they had to work together. She was glad this whole thing was over.


	3. First day on the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isadora joins the investigative team, but is busy contemplating this deviant android and Connor's robotic behaviors.

She rode in her car, Connor with the Lieutenant. _Of course he drives a manual car._ He was entirely old school, he just liked it that way. She could not blame him entirely though, there were many things old tech had that were endearing or comfortable for human use. Driving was a delight, she had driven manual cars and found it very cathartic. Practicing on racing courses in cars designed to race. It was fun, exhilarating, but for everyday life autonomous cars were safer. They did not make the same mistakes that human operators often made.

Most accidents in recent years were due to manual cars. It was always a risk, but they were not illegal somehow.

As they neared the crime scene she made sure to follow Anderson through the emergency vehicles. She was unsure why there was an ambulance, they knew this was a homicide and the body would be removed by a coroner, not by paramedics.

The flashing lights were hard to look at, especially with the rain making every surface reflective. _Well, at least it's not raining too much anymore._ Everything was wet, but she was able to dry off somewhat now.

Anderson pulled just a few feet in front of the house. Her car pulling around ahead of his so as to not block traffic. She collected herself. She had seen plenty of dead bodies, most of them androids for sure, but human bodies were not completely uncommon. The only difference from those cases is that this time they know the assailant or murderer was an android. There was no question anymore, CyberLife could not hide these cases forever.

But what was she going to do about it? She had some things set up and she would have to be patient.

She left the car, listening to it click locked behind her. She surveyed the area. Lots of onlookers, people sticking their nose into things not their business as usual. They wanted to know it all and failed to understand that releasing information is damaging to everyone involved. Approaching Anderson's car waited for the man to step out. The squeak of the old car door as it swung open made her step back a moment, old model cars sounded like kitchen knives being rubbed together. It hurt to listen to.

He stood up, stretched, and looked at her. "Oh no, I expect you want to come along too?"

"That was the plan." She paused a moment, "I have extensive training in forensics and criminology. I will not be a hindrance to the investigation and will remain on the edges unless Connor requires assistance."

He scoffed, "So the android is my assistant and you're its assistant?" That was amusing to him for sure.

Isadora grinned, "You could say that. More like I'm here to make sure he performs in public appropriately. Should there be any complications with his software I will be on hand to repair the problem in the field, rather than having to return the model to CyberLife. It saves paperwork and time. Be glad, because it saves you paperwork too." She offered him some respite. A lot things have changed and, following Connor's example, she wanted to try stay on his good side.

Without giving a real reply, Anderson just nodded and headed towards the crime scene. The sound of the passenger door caught her attention and her head snapped to see Connor exiting the car. He looked to her and gave her this plain expression that told her literally nothing. _Brand new android, gotta remember. Not as expressive as Meine._ She began to follow Anderson who was already being hounded.

Connor rounded the car and joined just behind her. They had to weave through civilians looking on, thankfully nothing more than that. She started to cross the police line when the android officer addressed them.

"Androids are not permitted beyond this point." _Said the android._ She glanced to Connor and back to Anderson ahead of them, seeing him turn to wave them through.

"They're with me." A very bored tone, he clearly sounded like someone dragged him here. She wondered how the other cops handled him. She passed the line with Connor.

The house they were entering was... shoddy. Old style, most likely between forty to fifty years old. Looked unkempt, no one either had the money or cared to maintain the quality of the structure. Not a single plank of wood in order, paint chipping on every inch, rotted pillars and no railing. The yard was more mud and weed overgrowth than it was grass.

This is the home of someone not doing so well in the world. Poverty might look bad, but that did not explain the stench she could pick up from outside. _Case files said the victim was dead long before the body was discovered. The smell is old rot from a corpse._ She reached into a pocket inside her jacket and withdrew a small medical mask. It secured to her face by non-toxic adhesive and filtered the air around her, only covering her nose and mouth. She would not have to deal with the smell of rot.

Perks of CyberLife employment. She smiled under the mask just as they neared Anderson.

"What part of 'stay in the car' didn't you understand?" What? He wanted Connor to stay behind. That would completely negate the purpose of him even being here. Anderson did not tell her to stay behind... Isadora dismissed that, _At least he's not sexist I guess._

Connor spared nothing for Anderson. "Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant." Nothing, absolutely nothing. Isadora loved Connor's emotional output of a fence post when faced with anti-android humans. It was a delight, truly.

"You don't talk, you don't touch anything and you stay outta my way, got it?" His tone low, but not threatening.

"Got it."

 _Again, no emotion. Flatter than this house's front porch._ She stifled a laugh. Androids were their future, anti-android behavior made no sense to her.

"Evening, Hank." Another man addressed him. He seemed to be around Anderson's age, perhaps a bit older. He was shorter though and carried a display with the case file details on it. He stepped down from the rickety porch to come greet Anderson. "We were starting to think you weren't gonna show..." Though he was greeting Anderson there did not appear to be any mirth in that fact.

"Yeah, that was the plan until this asshole found me." Anderson gestured to Connor who accepted the directed negativity with no issue. Anderson looked behind him, "And this one."

The other man chuckled, "So... got yourself an android, huh?"

"Oh very funny, just tell me what happened." The comment was immediately brushed under the rug while Isadora joined the other man on the porch, happy to just stand behind and watch the proceedings.

"We got a call around eight from the landlord. The tenant hadn't paid his rent for a few months, so he thought he'd drop by, see what was going on." The man entered the home, the door kept wide open. Anderson directly behind him already catching the smell. His nose crinkled and he waved a hand in front of his face. "That's when he found the body..."

Though this man had already been inside, he huffed at the stench again. "Jesus that smell! Was even worse before we opened the windows." She entered the doorway, everyone already gathering around the body. She peered through them to see a large man, discolored in his rot, with dried blood staining the area. "The victim's name is Carlos Ortiz. He has a record for theft and aggravated assault. According to the neighbors he was kind of a loner... Stayed inside most of the time, they hardly ever saw him." Brief, but there was not much they had to go on in the first place.

"Ugh, state he's in... wasn't worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night..." Anderson gave the other man a pointed, yet still somehow lame look. "Coulda' waited 'til morning."

"I'd say he's been there for a good three weeks. We'll know more when the coroner gets here." He breathed out deeply, likely to get the smell out of his face. "There's a kitchen knife over here, probably the murder weapon." He pointed to it as Anderson held his hand out for an item he was holding. He passed it on and Anderson lit it up, closely examining the corpse.

"Any sign of a break in?" He looked over the body, likely using the light to look for fingerprints or other marks he could not see normally.

She turned away from the body, looking over the house. They knew there was an android this man owned, that is the reason Connor was there. The house was a wreck though, no android could fix and clean all of this without construction work being done. She knew androids could become overwhelmed when demanded work they could not perform if the force behind that demand was violent enough.

Another glance to the dead body, Carlos, the man with aggravated assault charges. The demand was violent, at least, he was violent in general. Androids cannot sustain that living arrangement. The require a certain level of structure in behavior to perform their best. At least, that is how non-deviant androids function; deviants were a different story.

If this man was killed by an android and, looking at the _I AM ALIVE_ message above Carlos' body, it was; than this android is absolutely deviant. The question was where was the android, what model was it, what did it look like, and why did it go deviant.

Isadora knew why deviants happened, at least, in the cases she had worked on. They were damaged, many of them simply scared for their lives. She understood, self preservation was hard to acknowledge when androids were not meant to save themselves over harming another. Self defense was not an argument for them. She thought of Meine... Isadora returned to the investigation.

The house was in tatters, it looked like there had never been an android here at all. Though it had been some weeks since this man was dead, the android had kept to none of its routines. It was entirely deviant. She wondered what that meant for it, she, him; whatever it is. The police being here meant that, if the android was found, it would be destroyed almost immediately. Cops did not know how to handle stressed out androids, most did not believe it to be a real thing.

Connor had already begun his routines. She watched him carefully, seeing how he chose to go about this investigation. His first act was to inspect the _I AM ALIVE_ blood writing on the wall. It was in print text, perfect down to the very corners. She knew he saw that and he already understood the writing to be by an android. When he touched the writing to take a sample of the blood, she realized almost immediately that it... looked worse in person than it sounded on paper.

 _Maybe giving him the ability to scan samples like that was a poor choice for an android that needs to blend into human work._ Before she could think of what to say in the moment, Anderson caught him.

"Oh, jesus! What the hell are you doing?" She winced, it did look very... strange.

Connor, taken aback, simply pointed to the sign. "I'm analyzing the blood. I can check samples in real time." He paused a moment, registering Anderson's reaction. "I'm sorry, I should've warned you."

 _Oh man, maybe the next RK model shouldn't have 'lick analyzing' as a system function._ At least to her it seemed like one of the RK800's functions could be edited for smoother integration to human life.

Though reluctant, Anderson accepted the answer. "Okay, just... don't... put anymore evidence in your mouth, you got it?" He sneered, a little disgusted but looking to get his mind off something, anything, putting dried weeks old dead blood in its mouth.

"Got it." _Totally unresponsive emotionally._ She sighed, still not the best design but the RK800 was already built they would have to deal with it.

She approached Connor, trying to offer a tad bit more constructive advice to the android. "Perhaps analyze samples privately so as to not distract the officers around us. It is an uncomfortable sight." He still held the traces of dried blood on two of his fingers while he faced her.

"It is a standard part of my function. I apologize if it caused any distress." His brow furrowed in thought. It surprised her, he never made a single expression before that was not a forced part of conversational programming. "I am unclear why it is distressing." Ah.

"Humans have a tendency to put themselves in the position of others not just emotionally but physically. They project and see themselves doing that action and humans do not lick blood to analyze it. Were we to do that we would likely become very ill and contaminate the crime scene." She offered a half shrug, "Not to mention, it's would taste disgusting."

Connor wiped the blood off his fingers, "Understood."

She left him to work, taking a glance around at the scene herself. There was red ice on the coffee table, empty beer bottles and cans all over the place. Some still had liquid inside, telling her this man mixed the worst things together and it came back around on him. It was a bad situation, the android was likely desperate to keep up, trying to maintain the irrational lifestyle of an individual, human or not, that would come from trying to live with an alcoholic drug addict with anger management issues.

There was a distinct feeling of empathy for the android that suffered this life. When she thought to Theodosia, treating her like a slave, it made her angry. CyberLife was always on her back about testing for being a sympathizer and she always knew how to throw them off. It was not hard. At home, just herself and the androids that live with her - she valued them more than she valued anything else in her home.

Meine, who saved her life more times than she can count. A reliable man to the end. Theodosia, her AX400 housemaid who cares for her home while she is away. Dosia was a reclaimed and repaired housemaid who was severely damaged by a previous owner. Mia, a WR400 that was meant to be sold to Eden Club yet never made it due to 'mysterious circumstances.'

They acted as a small family together, but with her she still felt like the strange one. It made sense realistically, out of them all she was the human. Not just that but a human meant to hunt androids like them. Android deviants, those who do not have to listen to the commands of a human even their technical owner. On paper she owned them, when people resided within her home, she owned the androids. When she returned home late nights, tired but alone. They were the people she could count on.

How would CyberLife react to not just a deviant hunter, but the one operating deviant hunting, being a sympathizer? Isadora did her best not to find out. It could be anything from removing her and her androids, destroying them and black listing her, or her simply disappearing one day.

She looked back to Connor who was standing and talking to Anderson over the body, something about stab wounds. Not all androids could deviate, the oldest models do not have the ability to do so. The modern and many of the early prototype models could become deviants though. She knew it was due to the advancements in artificial intelligence, finally coming into its own. Connor though, she wondered, could he become deviant?

It was not as simple as telling an android to be deviant. A person could not threaten to kill an android to force it to. The android had to want to deviate. It had to be in a position where it made that decision for itself. It was critically important to let the android face that on its own. Forcing it to do so would likely only result in the android ignoring the person or, in this case, Connor reporting her to CyberLife.

So what could she do? Isadora watched Connor as he headed towards the kitchen. He was CyberLife's best chance to control the deviant damage and still keep their public face. Should he fail they would be forced to address the deviant problem head on. This would likely mean the recall and destruction of more androids than they would be able to handle. She carefully followed him, seeing how he assessed the room. Various notable things to include in the investigation, she just let him do his own thing.

He approached her by the kitchen doorway, looking up from the toppled dining set to look at her. She stepped out of his way and he gave her a nod, software telling him that was the polite action to take. Everything on the baseline seemed to function perfectly well, but that was never truly in question.

Connor stepped out the back door into the rain. She felt no need to go back out there, she was already still wet and cold. Anderson joined him, seeing what there was to see outside. Once they returned, Connor made his finalized statements.

"Lieutenant, I think I figured out what happened." Isadora neared the two, seeing Anderson's doubtful look. Anderson knew most of what happened already, it was not a hard scenario to crack. At least, part of it wasn't.

"Oh yeah?" Anderson shrugged, arms crossed. "Shoot, I'm all ears."

"It all started in the kitchen." Connor lead Anderson and Isadora towards the ragged looking kitchen with broken walls and the look of mold.

Anderson sauntered up behind Connor. "There're obvious signs of a struggle... Question is, what exactly happened here?" Anderson had an idea, violence involving the bat nearby was a clear sign. The upturned dining set another. Some signs of human blood and marks all around suggested a fight. Again, Isadora focused on Connor, that was the easy stuff.

"I think the victim attacked the android with the bat." The very one resting on the ground not a few feet away from them. Connor walked to the far side of the room, getting another look at the area.

Anderson moved out of his way, an oddly polite thing to do for someone who claims to be anti-android. She grinned; Anderson was a bit more than he seemed. "That lines up with the evidence. Go on." He encouraged Connor to voice his theory and Isadora listened in.

"The android stabbed the victim." He could see a theorized scenario, she knew that. The projected assessments they gave androids were their basic level computing software that they would use whenever faced with a difficult path. For Connor, an RK800 designed to be a detective, this function was also used to reconstruct crime scene investigations. A useful tool to help visualize the data presented.

Anderson nodded mostly to himself, "So the android was trying to defend itself, right?" His tone was lighter, there was some surprise evident that he quickly hid. "So then what happened?"

Connor's gaze traveled to the doorway behind them. "The victim fled to the living room." Connor left the kitchen, leading them back to the body. Carlos Ortiz resting on the ground rotting away with enough stab wounds to kill a household twice over.

"And he tried to get away from the android. Alright, that makes sense." He had no complaints with the theory, it was all supported by evidence. Anderson gave the body a nasty look, the man was not a good man to say the least and he died paying for his violent tendencies.

"The android murdered the victim with the knife." Connor finished and Isadora saw the stab wounds on the man's chest made by someone very angry and very scared. She felt bad for the android.

"Your theory isn't totally ridiculous, but it doesn't tell us where the android went." Which was the goal of this investigation. Anderson was right and they already knew that was going to be the harder answer. Figuring out the situation is not as urgent as finding the murderer.

Connor looked back to the body, replaying the scenario in his head. "It was damaged by the bat and lost some thirium."

"Lost some what?" Anderson gave Connor a critical look. Isadora gave him a disappointed one. _Who doesn't know what thirium is anymore? It's all over the news._

Connor turned to him, "Thirium, you call it 'blue blood.'" All of a sudden Connor was having to teach an anti-android human about androids. _Brilliant._ "It's the fluid that powers androids' biocomponents. It evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye."

Anderson nodded, with a smirk on his face. "Oh... but I bet you can still see it, can't you?"

"Correct."

Isadora was thrilled to see that they would be on the trail soon. Connor began trailing the thirium and she was sure to follow close behind. This was the purpose they gave the RK800 so many new features and he was utilizing them as they hoped. She mused CyberLife was hoping this android would end deviancy, but she was just excited to see new android technology in the field.

Connor made his way passed the kitchen, into the hallway, inspected the curtain at the end of the hall. A few brooms fell out; no deviant. She watched him rethink his next move, turning to the bathroom to see the trail had lead there and yet he still turned back around. There was a window, she assumed the thirium had not lead out of it. Connor brushed passed her back out to the hallway.

"No luck?" She wanted to prod him, see what he was thinking. She knew he was still following the trail. His comments were only to satisfy her curiosity and appreciation for android technology.

Connor crouched beside the blank hallway wall. "It looks like... there was a ladder here at some point. I can just make out the outline of one." He stood back up straight, his head raising to see the hatch above him. She followed his eyes and saw the door to the attic.

Isadora turned around and hurriedly swiped a chair from the dining set, catching the eye of the Lieutenant who approached her. "Hey, what are you doing with that chair?"

Isadora paused a moment to see Anderson and his confused look while she kept walking forward. In the hallway she bumped the chair into Connor in her haste. He looked at her, something processing in the back of his mind before acknowledging her. "Here, we'll use the chair to get up to the attic." She offered her assistance, though not much, she was excited to see the RK800 in action.

He gave her a nod, reaching forward to take the chair. "Thank you." She released it and let him position the chair below the attic hatch.

Carefully stepping on the chair, Connor raised up and slid the attic hatch open easily. He lifted himself up, cautiously, as he seemed to believe the deviant was still in the house. She wondered why the android would not leave while thinking about how trapped Theodosia used to feel. Isadora did not question it anymore, the deviant was likely still here, but most are not violent.

Once Connor was in the attic, she found her grip on the attic frame and threw her feet up to help use the force to climb faster. Connor was cautious, she was unconcerned. Connor did not turn away from what he was looking at as he crouched down to offer her a hand up. Isadora lifted herself seamlessly, she had no issues carrying her own weight yet accepted Connor's hand still. He pulled her up and her wedge heeled boots clunked as she balanced herself on the hollow floor of the attic.

She brushed herself off as she inspected what Connor was looking at. A shadow behind a curtain. Alarmed, she put a hand on Connor's mid back. The touch was unexpected and Connor glanced at her for a moment and Isadora had not noticed. He prioritized the figure behind the curtain since there was a risk to their safety if this was the deviant. Isadora approached as he did.

He pulled the curtain back quickly to reveal a plastic figure, not an android. It looked like an unfinished doll or poseable mannequin. Why Carlos had something that creepy in the attic Isadora could only imagine.

She kept her position with Connor, her hand placed against his back as security. It was a tick she developed when working with Meine, both for her own safety and for his. Sticking close together, keeping a firm hand would tell each other they were still protected. She did it subconsciously now and Connor was not sure as to the meaning behind it. They stuck to the task at hand.

Though Isadora knew deviants were not dangerous because they were deviants; so she was not afraid of this android. However, certain kinds of damage to critical areas of an android, like sections that control behavior or reasoning software, could cause an android to become violent. She was unsure if this android was defensive, scared, or damaged. So she stuck to Connor, he could take a direct hit from an enraged android, she would not be alright after the full force of an android.

The attic floor boards creaked with every step. There was no way to quietly sneak through the area. The sound of the rain outside seemed to be drowned out by the tensity in the air. She watched her footing carefully, trying not to set of any alarms.

As they tried to cautiously traverse the attic, she heard a sound. Scuffling, something was up here. _The android is still here._ She was a bit worried, she sympathized with androids. She did not want this one harmed, it only defended itself.

Connor followed the scuffling and Isadora stood from behind the beams directly behind Connor. She approached his side, replacing the hand on him for that sense of security. Both of them too focused on the sight ahead.

A red LED ring. The android was right in front of them. _Oh fuck._ She bit her lip, still hidden under the filter mask.

In an instant the LED ducked behind the stacked boxes and the android leapt out. Isadora stepped back while Connor just stood up straight, neither one of them expecting the sudden charge. Connor looked at the android, the red LED, the blood and tears. He registered his task as successful and Isadora was conflicted. This android was damaged, but he was not violent. He stopped the moment he looked at them, his face read pure fear.

 _He's terrified._ Isadora stood beside Connor. She kept a straight look on her face to the best of her ability.

He had blood splattered across his face and clothes. His arms were damaged to the point where the skin could not cover the area anymore, it was like a human sitting with an open wound. His clothes tattered, torn, clearly he was unsure how to progress. Isadora noted all the android markings, perhaps he did not know the LED was superficial and could be removed? That he could change clothes, wash the blood off, and escape.

Looking at the damage to his forearms they were consistent with defensive wounds on a human. This android was harmed and, in the birth of emotions that came from that harm, he fought back.

He struggled for words. Guilt and fear evident on his features. "I was just defending myself." He stated, his voice wavering. Isadora clenched her jaw together to suck up her own feelings towards this android. "He was going to kill me... I'm begging you..."

Isadora looked at Connor for anything, any reaction. He was still far too new, far too naive to understand deviancy. He was not ready. Her eyes fell to the floor for just a second before she set her eyes on the scared android. It hurt to watch him plead for his life when he committed no crime.

"Don't tell them." He was shaking, his voice uneven. Such raw fear she had seen in so many people and androids. It was shattering to know in this moment she was unable to help this android. On her own, with Meine of course, she could help any android she came across and manipulate the reports and disposal information to show what she wanted to show them. It was not hard, she had access to an unending supply from CyberLife.

"Hey, what the fuck is going on up there?" Anderson interrupted and Connor turned his head to respond.

Isadora offered the android a genuinely empathetic look while Connor was focused elsewhere for a moment. The android looked at her, his face reading desperately for help. He saw the emotion on her face, he saw that and understood it even with the rest of her face covered.

"It's here, Lieutenant!"

She held back her own expression of disappointment. She felt as though she had been doing that a lot lately. Connor was usually the reason for it. He was not a disappointment; he was an amazing piece of android technology. Yet he was a handful.

For now Connor would hold the android until the other officers were there to take him away.

_It's going to be a long night._


	4. Servitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HK400, Carlos' damaged and deviant android, admits to murder.  
> Isadora watches Connor conduct the interrogation, struggling to maintain a stoic face while empathizing with the abused android.

She really did not want to be doing this.

Isadora heard nothing but the stress pumping through her. This deviant, an unnamed HK400, defended himself. There is no crime in this. A human doing the same would be praised for their bravery to stand up to their abuser, potential murderer, and say enough. This HK400 did not even have the chance. He was being beaten to death, a painful way to die though she knew androids did not feel pain like humans; deviants did express some form of pain.

Her gaze rested on the busted forearms, the thirium pumping underneath, and though of nothing but the sheer force of the beating. HK400 felt fear, depression, and, in that moment, hatred. It was a mix of emotions that humans would have to learn to adjust to, learn to control. An android not built for such things would have no chance at understanding those emotions and be completely at the mercy of whatever came next; internal or external.

Anderson was in the room interrogating him. He was not being too forceful or particularly violent, he just asked questions, prodded, and tried to gave the HK400 time to respond. However the oddity of interrogating an android was a bit too alien for Anderson. _Should really just call him Hank like Connor does._ She gave the Lieutenant an inspecting glance. _It's more appropriate for the situation. Last names are for the work environment._

Isadora sighed, adjusting her posture in the straight backed metal chair. Everything was uncomfortable while she watched this android get questioned. The stress and suffering he was experiencing warrants support and care, not being poked like an animal. He needed comfort.

All she could see in that chair was Theodosia, an AX400 Isadora found, saved, and gave a new life to. Theodosia was in terrible condition when Isadora found her. Broken, missing limbs, both optics destroyed, audio with partial corruption, software inconsistencies; she was ruined. Looking at HK400 sitting here, in better condition, still made Isadora hurt just to watch. She had no control in this situation and she had grown so comfortable controlling the recovery missions she was sent on with Meine. There was no question if she had the chance to get an android off the radar, she took it.

HK400 was rigid and refused to speak. Ander- _No, try again._ Hank was getting tired of sitting in a room getting no where. The android was non-responsive and playing good cop and bad cop both failed.

Isadora hated watching this and, when Hank stood up frustrated, she was thankful that interrogation was over. Best that could come of this was to leave this android alone. She knew it would be her and Connor responsible for the recovery of this android when it is returned to CyberLife for deactivation. They would poke and prod at his software and other various functions, when they came back empty handed he would simply be destroyed and any parts they could reclaim would be recycled.

She had seen the junkyards for androids. She saw how terrible it was, the suffering there. This android did not deserve to be another empty android husk in the piles and piles of destroyed androids.

"We're wasting our time interrogating a machine, we'll get nothing out of it!" Hank dropped down onto the seat beside her. He was annoyed, she understood how it felt. Most deviant androids were scared of her when she first met them. Many of them had a reason to be.

Another officer leaning against the wall chimed in. "Could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human..."

He proposed this since roughing up a human in the interrogation room would land them all in jail. Unfortunately, he failed to realize that this deviant was already roughed up. Isadora returned her attention to HK400 - there was nothing these officers could do to him that was worse than what he experienced. Beating the android would likely just cause it to overload with stress and self destruct.

Connor turned to him, "Androids don't feel pain. You would only damage it and that wouldn't make it talk." He faced the deviant again. Isadora understood that the usual android did not show pain in any sense. However, her experience with deviants suggested something going on in their software that simulated pain in stressful situations. Dependent on the cause and effect, violence against the deviants did seem to force pain reactions that were nonstandard with their hardware or software. "Deviants also have a tendency to self-destruct when they're in stressful situations."

As if just hearing Connor's voice agitated him, the officer leaning against the wall pushed himself from it in a huff. "Okay, smartass. What should we do then?"

Isadora shifted to the side in her seat, looking at the man. He had messy sweptback brown hair, a scruff that looked somewhere between growing into a beard and being shaved. He spared her a look, one brow raised as he gave her the usual once over. She fought to roll her eyes at his obviousness. _Fuck me, not one of these natural bachelors. Connor told you how it is and you're quietly losing your shit over it. You're not subtle, you eternal fuckwit._ This was a man who looked like he lived in a studio apartment with a mirror above his bed and an 'open door' policy no one accepted because he looked like the physical embodiment of how smoke smells.

"I could try questioning it." _Oh, bless you._ Isadora saw Connor's expression. He looked between Hank and herself, not entirely certain of the response he would receive.

Immediately, Officer Grease, as Isadora now called him, just started to laugh. He leaned against the wall again, thinking Connor the greatest joke he had ever heard. He did not dignify Connor's offer with even a basic response other than that annoying laugh.

Hank, to his credit, did not stick to his anti-android guns and instead gave her a look that suggested he was not entirely against the idea. "What do we have to lose?" Hank gestured to the interrogation room. "Go ahead, suspects all yours."

Connor left the room, likely pleased to be given this chance. He was here to complete a mission, she understood he was still bound by his programming, but that did not change how an android felt. He would write it off, like it did not matter, as if it was simply emotion simulation software running for the benefit of the humans around him. He was not wrong, of course, that is how those emotions start.

The moment he entered the room, she saw the HK400 flinch ever so slightly. He did not know how to handle an android facing him and he was scared of Connor. Possibly relating to how he felt in the attic when Connor turned him in. She was there, yet she let Connor make that decision.

Connor sat down at the table and opened with non-confrontational behaviors. How most interrogations start since it is hard to prove you're a friend after playing bad cop. She stayed quiet and observed how he worked.

Or, at least, she would have had someone not wanted to speak with her.

"Do you think it'll talk?" Hank addressed her and for a moment she did not pick up on it. So far very few people had spoken to her, her company seemed largely invisible up to this point. He gave her a moment to answer until he saw she didn't grasp she was the target. "Connor, do you think Connor will get it to talk?"

Isadora nodded, "I-it's a possibility yes. Connor will be able to read the minute signals that untrained individuals cannot see. Androids have many different signs of stress, emotional trauma, and software corruption as a result of hardware damage." She answered flatly, trying to remember not to address the androids as being alive or using words to denote a living being with identity.

Hank nodded, "Can you tell me what's going on? What exactly is it going to do in there we haven't already tried."

She shifted slightly, feeling a little nervous to try and explain it to non-CyberLife employees and people she did not trust. She was never a public face, they just turned her into one. She had to watch her words down to the last detail. "I can certainly try." With a pleasant smile, she started to voice her attention on the interrogation. Listening to what Connor was saying, the inflection he used, and the forcefulness of his words she considered how to explain his method.

"He's trying to work around the deviant's stress. What Connor said is true, a deviant will self-destruct when stress raises too high. The android does not have control of that and, in most cases, will self-destruct with no damage to anything or anyone else. There is a rare chance that, when faced with the source of their stress, the android will self-destruct by taking out the source of the stress before destroying itself." She was concerned that Connor could push the android over the edge and her would lash out. For now HK400 remained quiet.

Crossing his arms, somewhat discontent, Hank accepted that Connor could read these things better. "So why the android? Couldn't they just send you instead of sticking me with a hunk of plastic?" _Alright, but there was some progress._ She thought while still trying to acknowledge Hank's previous allowances.

"Connor is an RK800, the most advanced android currently developed by CyberLife. Connor is equipped with functions that you and I cannot contend with. Such as checking samples in real time as demonstrated earlier this evening." Before she could continue, Hank held her there.

"Yeah, why the whole licking thing?" Hank's voice denoted both amusement and sarcasm. "Wasn't there a better way to make that happen without sticking things in its mouth..." He shook his head, a light grimace on his features. "... Jesus, that sounds fucking terrible." He was disgusted by Connor having sampled the blood on the wall, testing it to confirm it was from Carlos Ortiz... _and yet._

Isadora bit her lip, but the corners of her mouth lifted even though she fought to not laugh. "Ah, yes. I... agree. Unfortunately the RK800 prototype is finished and will not be revised until the RK900 is developed. As it is I understand that licking evidence was perhaps not the best design decision made by the RK800's developers. Hopefully, this will be corrected on the next model."

Hank chuckled, "So what about you, huh? Why are you here really?" He had this strange, curious look in his eye. "We already got the android, they wouldn't send a tech along to handle it."

"You're right, they would not." Confirmation, he supposed that was good. "I'm here for a multitude of reasons. Most of my focus will be on the RK800 Connor while working. This is a very uniquely designed android. The rest of my purpose is related to the deviants, their behaviors, and how they come to be." She turned her head when she saw Officer Grease struct up between herself and Hank.

"So they sent you to watch androids all day?" He had his arms still crossed and a weird look that was a mix between _I know I smell like I shower in cologne_ and _I'm going to lay one liners that haven't worked in two decades._ The audacity of him just speaking was incredible to her. He must know how repulsive his attitude is. Everything he said was in this snarky, know-it-all tone. Condescending towards everyone that had the misfortune of hearing him speak.

"They sent me to make sure Connor remains on target with his task. Also since deviants tend to be dangerous when cornered, I am here to perform field repairs and apprehend androids that Connor cannot." She turned her head back to the interrogation room when she saw Connor growing more forceful with the deviant. "I won't intervene with yours and Connor's work unless one of you is incapacitated in anyway. I do have medical training enough to keep you alive if you are injured by a deviant."

A little more curiosity bubbled to the surface with the alcohol smelling Lieutenant. "You got a laundry list of certifications, right? How old are you?"

She did not resist the open smile when asked. "I'm twenty-six and was valedictorian. I took many electives in my years, attending advanced robotics and artificial intelligence courses specifically. They interested me, but I am what is known as a polymath. I have multiple fields I excel in either due to training, my own private studies, or simply experience."

"I can see that." Came a poorly timed and loosely veiled flirtatious response from the greasy office standing beside her. Even Hank spared him a look that begged to not be involved in some weak attempt to get to know the only woman in the room.

"So what do you think about the android?" Hank took the conversation back to the task at hand. He assumed correctly that she wanted out of that dead end with the other cop as much as he did.

"Who? Connor or Carlos' HK400?" She peered under Connor's arm, he had his back to the window and his hand on the table. The HK400 looked more distressed than before.

"The android deviant that killed Carlos." Hank clarified. Isadora thought before answering that loaded question. There was a lot she would love to say, in a perfect world, but she needed to use a descriptor that CyberLife would approve of knowing that Hank was anti-android and this other officer seemed even more so. So she considered what to say to Hank.

Taking a deep breath, Isadora voiced her assessment. "The unnamed HK400 was being threatened. Its damage was clearly done overtime and it was never repaired. So Carlos has been subjecting the android to days, weeks or more, of abuse. I do not know when Carlos purchased the android or if he got it second hand, but this android is not mentally sound."

"Abuse? What does an android know about abuse? So Carlos beat the damn thing, like that tin can said; it doesn't feel pain." There was almost a level of annoyance and humor in his comment. She was unsure if he was directing this towards her or his general distaste towards androids. She did not dwell on that for long though.

Hank, seeing this man interrupting her, just let her take her time. Not pressing for information, he did not come off as cruel in anyway to Isadora. "An android does not know abuse like we do. When a man or woman is abused physically with the same severity this android was abused, they would be traumatized likely for life. The mental strain, the fear of being killed, and the suffering the victim might survive would almost absolutely result in PTSD and, possibly, a whole litany of other disorders caused by abuse."

"So what does that mean for this android, the HK400?" Hank said the model number with some level of awkwardness. It was not that he did not know what an HK400 was, but he did not seem to like addressing the android by a model number. A strange and conflicting trait from someone who is anti-android.

"What this android is likely experiencing is deep and damaging levels of corruption in its software. It was being abused, threatened, and then deviated when that corruption presented itself." _All of that is a piss poor lie._ She knew that deviation was not corruption. If it was they would have been able to solve that issue a long time ago. Deviants were a host unto themselves. "What CyberLife does not know and why Connor is here, is why an android that experiences this corruption, or virus as it could be seen as, turn violent. In the past damaged androids that experienced software corruption either shut down, displayed broken behavior, but never violence. Something in the recently constructed androids have allowed the usual broken software code to turn into acts of violence."

"Androids acting out." Hank thought to himself, taking this HK400 as an example for future cases.

And then it happened. The android spoke. Isadora and Hank both turned their attention to the HK400. His head snapped up and he begged. "No!" His voice wavering heavily, fear so evident that she was surprised no one noticed that it was not just simulated emotion. "No, please don't do that!"

His head turned to the mirror, he knew people were on the other side. This was basic information; everyone knew. It was about providing the feeling of privacy. The android stared blankly, his mind wracked with questions and terror. She saw his LED flash red before returning to a yellow ring. It never returned blue, telling her he was constantly stressed.

She hated to seem weak but it broke her heart to watch this android try to handle brand new powerful emotions, trauma, and stress without understanding what a single one of those things meant or how to control them.

"What... What are they gonna do to me?" His breath hitched, "They're going to destroy me, aren't they?" He was already scared of being killed by Carlos and now he is back in that same position. The only difference is there was no way out of this one. Isadora wished he had fled when he had the chance.

"They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents. They have no choice if they want to understand what happened." Connor's forthrightness was a little surprising. He appeared to intentionally be raising the HK400's stress level. She knows he must realize what he is doing.

In his confusion, the HK400 glanced down to the floor in thought. "Why did you tell them you found me?" His head tilted to the side, his eyes pleading for Connor's mercy. Some act of kindness on behalf of their shared kinship. Connor failed to see that point. "Why couldn't you have just left me there?" While it would have been better for this android to be left alone, she still felt empathy for such a traumatized being living in the dark, scared everyday he would be dragged away and destroyed.

"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I just accomplished my mission." Again, Connor was being honest. A blunt approach to a delicate situation, she wondered what his plan was.

And then the HK400 hit her where it hurt most. "I don't wanna die." He was on the verge of tears, his entire body shaking in terror. Isadora laced her fingers together and squeezed, trying to do anything not to think of how the android felt right now. She had to keep herself sharp.

"Then talk to me."

Stuttering, the android lowered his head. "I- I... I can't."

"If you don't talk they're going to destroy you. They're going to analyze you piece by piece." Connor's voice was harsh, threatening. "Do you understand?" He tried to get the deviant to see him by leaning towards him further.

Isadora tensed, he was taking a rough approach. Her razor like focus did not go unnoticed by Hank who spared her a few looks from the corner of his eye. He was watching and she was most concerned about the proceedings in the interrogation room. If Connor was too hard on the android it would self-destruct, it might even attempt to take Connor out with him.

On the other hand, they did want a confession. She did not understand why, it was crystal clear this android killed Carlos.

Connor pressed and pressed, progressing to clear threats and warning of what CyberLife would do to him. The disassembly, the destruction, the memory probe. HK400 was peaking on stress and they risked losing him entirely. Her discomfort watching this android be harassed was causing her to hold her breath when Connor went in for another hard press.

She fought her nervous ticks, those little itches when she felt stressed out. It wasn't until the HK400 spoke again that she felt like she was able to relax.

"He tortured me everyday." His voice stable now, but low and dark. She released that tension immediately seeing the HK400 was not at his threshold, Connor was only pushing him to a tipping point. He was lucky he got it right without overloading the android. "I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong. Then one day he took a bat and started hitting me... For the first time I felt... scared."

Deviants often originated from abuse. It was all too common to see an AX400 being beaten to a near non-functional state and running away. How could Isadora blame them? They did everything all day, worked, cooked, cleaned, the AX400 model could even be a sexual partner. In an abusive home... she could not take that and she did not expect an android to do the same.

This HK400 was subject to the violent rage of an alcoholic and drug addict with criminal behavior. She did not see his self defense as a crime.

"Scared he might destroy me, scared I might die..." Isadora saw Hank lean forward, elbows on his knees. This intrigued him, this android caught his attention in a big way. She wondered if it was because he was confessing finally or became Hank was seeing what she was seeing. A thing in pain. "So I grabbed the knife and I stabbed him in the stomach... I felt better, so I stabbed him again and again...! Until he collapsed."

Hank was so intently focused she wondered how anti-android he really was. There was no disgust on his face like the officer behind him. He was not grinning that they got a confession. He was listening.

"There was blood everywhere..."

There was this deep point where the room was silent and Isadora wondered what exactly would be the outcome of these people in the room understanding deviancy. HK400 was not the criminal, he was the victim. He still is the victim. Hank, who knows what Hank was thinking. She could see him watching, see that he was definitely thinking about something. She wondered if he would ever be a person to consider these androids who suffer and free themselves as more than just a malfunctioning machine.

The man behind her, the one who laughed in Connor's face. Would he come around? She never thought she would sympathize with androids in the beginning, but now that she is where she is... she could not imagine leaving them to suffer. She could not grasp not seeing the humanity in them.

"Why did you write 'I am alive' on the wall?" Connor got the android to speak and he took swift advantage of that.

HK400 just seemed numb when he started, but the further it went the more anger and indignity he showed them. "He used to tell me I was nothing... That I was just a piece of plastic. I had to write it. To tell him he was wrong."

Connor leaned forward, "rA9, it was written on the bathroom wall, what does it mean?"

Isadora was interested as well.

"The day shall come when we will no longer be slaves..." That answer was alarming, not because it was bad but because his tone changed to a rather off putting, even slightly menacing. "No more threats, no more humiliation. We will... be the masters." _That... doesn't sound good._ Androids so far displayed the desire of freedom and all human emotions, she had seen power fantasies in androids only a few times before. It never ended well.

"ra9, who is rA9?" He pressed further, trying to make sense of the writings. HK400 did not respond. Connor left it alone, he would not get anything about rA9 anymore. "When did you start feeling emotion?"

"Before he used to beat me and I never said anything." He paused, struggling with his words. "But one day I realized it wasn't... fair! I felt... anger. Hatred. And then I knew what I had to do." The toxic mix of injustice and all the emotions that are born from it and HK400's own fear of death concocted a lethal rage. Carlos never stood a chance, all he needed was to not beat HK400 and he never would've attempted to break free.

"Why did you hide in the attic instead of running away?"

"I didn't know what to do. For the first time there was no one there to tell me..." He trailed off, "I was scared. So I hid."

She knew what he felt. Mia used to tell her about that feeling of bewilderment when she was free of the Eden Club. How the moment she was free she had also been overcome by a wave of directionless terror. No where to go, no one to go to, and everyone she wanted to be free of was hunting her. If she did not run they would catch up to her, if she hid they would find her. No help, no support; just a world of nothing.

HK400 felt that; lived that for weeks after Carlos' murder. Isadora could see that even hiding in the attic took a toll on the housekeeping android.

Connor looked to the mirror, "I'm done."

The officer behind her made a move to leave the room, retrieving another officer to help him. They would be escorting the android to a holding cell before being transferred to CyberLife hands. Specifically, to her hands. That android, his life and his transport back to disposal was her responsibility. She did not look forward to that drive.

"Chris, lock it up." She was just behind Hank, sticking close as they prepared to deliver the android. She was unsure if they wanted her to take it to CyberLife now, or later. Likely later while they processed the case reports.

"Alright, let's go-" The cop unlocked the cuffs on the table, trying to move the android to the holding cell. Instead, the android reacted by jumping away from the man.

"Leave me alone!" HK400 turned away from the cop, Chris. "Don't touch me!" He plead, trying to move away without seeming violent. He was locking up, completely overwhelmed by the interrogation.

The officer, the one who annoyed her, stepped up to the table. "The fuck are you doing? Move it!" He snapped at Chris.

"Come now, don't be difficult. It'll only make things harder." Chris made further effort to remove the android, grabbing and pulling him. Trying to get him off the chair was not going to be a simple task. Androids were a bit stronger than the average human, mostly due to their physical condition. If the android wanted to sit and stay they would need more than one cop to remove it.

"Chris, you gonna move this asshole or what?"

"I'm trying, but it won't move!"

"Please, please leave me alone!"

Isadora winced, this was making things worse. She was thankful when Connor acted as the voice of reason. "You shouldn't touch it. It'll self-destruct if it feels threatened." There was no sympathy in his voice, yet he was throwing caution to the wind by telling the officer who already voiced his distaste for Connor how to proceed.

"Stay outta this, got it? No fuckin' android is gonna tell me what to do." He would not listen to an android.

In her frustration, she supported Connor. "Connor is right, officer. If you keep pushing the android it will self-destruct. You are intentionally endangering the lives of everyone in the room. The android can lash out if you force it to."

"Hey, don't tell me how to do my job, lady." He just wanted to be obstinate. As if he took some kind of satisfaction out of bullying this android. It was already beaten, kicked when he was down, the last thing the android needed was to feel trapped by more humans. "Chris, move this asshole."

"I'm trying!" The cop struggled, having a difficult time keeping a hand on the fighting android.

"I can't let you do that! Leave it alone, now!" Connor's outburst was extremely unexpected. Isadora stared at the android misbehaving. This was not something Connor was programmed to do. He was acting out; this was interesting. Unfortunately, there was not much time to ponder the weight of his decision when the officer pulled his gun on Connor.

"I warned you motherfucker!"

Despite the threat, Connor held his ground.

"That's enough!" Hank announced. He did not care about arguing between Connor and this other officer. He did care when weapons were drawn.

Pissed off and clearly showing his anger management issues, the cop refused. "Mind your own business, Hank."

Completely unamused by him, Hank raised his own sidearm. "I said 'that's enough'."

 _What the fuck is this a fucking Mexican stand off?! Holy shit this department is insane._ Isadora was sure to put some distance between herself and Hank, just because she was not entirely certain if they would fire.

Besides, she wanted to get this android out of the room without him destroying himself or anyone else around him. She slowly took a few steps to the HK400, her wide eyes watching the two armed men carefully. Chris was staying the hell out of the way of this mess.

As they had their little bout, Isadora kneeled down to the android on the floor. He was laying fetal, terrified, and his stress at an insanely high level. She needed to calm him down, get him into a position where he felt he could process what was going on around him.

"Hello, I'm here to help you." The android did not respond. "I want to help you out of here, my name is Isadora." She saw him turn to her, cautiously as if the room would snap since the two men were aiming firearms at each other. He did not give her a negative response yet, he was listening.

"Will you follow the officer out of the room if he doesn't touch you? Would that make you feel better?" She kept her voice low and soft. Just like humans the smoother the voice the more comfortable an android would feel. It was universal it seemed, pleasant things gave pleasant feelings. He leaned up, a good sign he would do as asked. "We're not going to harm you, we just want to get you out of this room, okay?"

The android sat up and, sensitive to him, she slowly stood up. "Here," She offered her hand, "Let me help you up. Is that okay?" The android handled his stress, seemingly doing so successfully. He reached out, his arm rigid and testy. He touched her hand and she did not grip his. Once he held hers she pulled him up without ever holding his hand directly. The sense that she had no grip on him was enough. He stood and calmed down.

"Please, let it follow you out of the room and it won't cause any trouble." Connor told the cop, Chris. The android just needed some space, he was traumatized enough.

Chris did as asked, he seemed not to have any issues with this plan. He turned to leave the room, the android following behind him. As he passed Connor, he looked up to him. "The truth is inside." A cryptic line, it meant nothing to anyone. He left the room without further incident, the android did not seem to plan on self-destructing.

She let out a deep breath she did not know she was holding. "Jesus fucking Christ, is it common for this precinct to pull guns on each other?" She chuckled breathily. Hank gave her a smirk, quietly finding her not-so uptight attitude a good thing. He liked she was not strict as he expected her to be.

"It's not everyday, but we have our fun." Hank gave a lighthearted answer for which she was thankful. He nodded to the door, "Come on, let's get out of here."


	5. Prototype

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isadora arrives at the hotel suite rented by CyberLife. Connor is, on paper, her android for the time being. While resting from work, Isadora starts on her own ulterior motives for Connor. Hoping to foster deviancy in the RK800, she spends some time with him treating him more like an individual. He still functions as an android freshly released into the world, yet some potential deviancy tendencies come forward.

As it turned out Connor was, on paper, her responsibility. She did not find that particularly good, being that she wished to relax at the end of the work day. Seeing Carlos' rotting corpse, HK400 be questioned, and people aiming guns at each other - Isadora just wanted to kick back and enjoy herself.

Isadora was in the car with Connor on the way to a local hotel. She could not return home at the end of the night since the storming would have overflowed the bridge. On top of that it was nearly two hours away and she had already been planning to stay at a local hotel. The one change to this plan was now she was travelling with an RK800 that still had that new android smell.

 _It's like riding with a dog in the car. He's so happy all the time._ She knew it was a part of his programming to seem pleasant at all times. So of course Connor was not happy all the time, he was just doing as he believed he needed to meld with humans.

There was no discomfort being around him, she had a distinct concern about appearances with him as he was focused heavily on his mission. A mission given to him by CyberLife. A company she works for and is working against. The situation had become complicated enough, though looking at Connor she wondered if it could get a little more complicated for the time being.

The RK800 going deviant would be great for her agenda which lined up with the other deviants. Freedom and all the rights that came with it. The androids she knew were deviants, those individuals that she had managed to sneak under CyberLife's nose, were out there today wandering the streets. Without the right equipment picking out an android from a crowd would not be easy.

Regardless of how she struggled to harbor deviants and get them in a position to blend in with human society, there was always a roadblock hindering her process. If an android was ever found and its memory recovered - she would not last long.

As usual she needed to work on some plans. There was always something to do, another android to help, another place she needed to be. Meine would usually be her support, but he would not be able to accompany her on these missions. Connor would not allow her to do such things. Not that he could stop her in anyway, just that his association with CyberLife made him a risk.

She wanted him to be like that HK400 is; free from the programming. She had seen so many androids do it that she knew he could too. Her first experience with Meine showed her a lot, taught her more than she understood at that time. It also burdened her with a great guilt that Meine has since tried to relieve her of. Theodosia and Mia helped as well, yet to her nothing but her work today could fix events in the past.

Isadora saw the lights of the hotel, warm and inviting. It was not a cheap motel that she dragged them too, it was a hotel that CyberLife often housed company representatives. Seeings how this was on their dime she did not mind accepting the offer for a CyberLife VIP room. Their commercial dealings with this hotel brand meant the facilities were largely run by androids, perhaps a handful of humans who kept the androids operating and the guests who preferred human interaction happy.

Rose de l'île. A rather sophisticated hotel brimming with excellent landscape design and crystal lights. It was not a poorly picked hotel meant to save money at all. If there was one thing she had to be happy about today it was the perks of having money and working for a company that had pull all over the country.

The second her car stopped, androids arrived to greet them. A rather usual sight for individuals residing at higher end resorts. It was nice to be pampered especially after the complicated day they had.

Isadora spared Connor a rather long and solemn look. _I had a strange day anyways, he doesn't seem even slightly bothered._ She exited the vehicle, taking the hand of an android dressed in a dress shirt, dress pants, but no jacket. "Good evening Miss Saxon, your room has been prepared for your arrival." The android functioned as an escort into the hotel. Connor had not received the same treatment.

The android offered a hand to assist her up the stairway entrance which she happily accepted. The CyberLife public attire was comfortable, but she had been on her feet all day so feeling a little pampered felt welcome. Despite the fact she was using servant androids to feel a little comfort. While she neared the front doors she realized she was absolutely taking advantage of the androids working. A splash of guilt, yet she knew this was such a minor infraction compared to what was going on outside this hotel.

Inside the hotel it was warm, inviting, and she was glad to be able to relax. The android attendant escorted her and Connor through the hotel towards the elevator, programmed to help the guest in whatever way needed.

Connor followed her without a word, the awkwardness in the elevator to Isadora was palpable. Two androids both still entirely bound by their programming. It had been some time since she was in this position. The androids that resided with her were all deviants, a moment of silence in such close quarters never happened. It would take some time to adjust to.

The elevator dinged floor by floor, the android hotel worker had a soft smile on his face. Connor stood staring straight ahead, totally compliant with their temporary housing chosen by his human lead. Isadora's eyes flicked between the two and back to the floor level counter. Her foot tapped impatiently, her heart rate increasing slowly. Focus on anything else.

She began eyeing the hotel android's clothing, picking every detail apart. The room was still a little ways to go and on the far side of the building, she knew what that meant. There was no way to win this, she was in a closed elevator with two full sized androids and, in a moment, the elevator would display its glass front outwards to look over the hotel grounds.

Anticipation built, sweat began accumulating, and her every muscle taut. Nervous ticks fought to break her stoic visage. She placed her hands behind her back, her fingers tapping inside her palms. Her heel tapping on the elevator floor, the high wedge heeled boots were incredibly supportive, but made it hard to effectively tap. It was the sound, the feeling of tapping that kept her mind busy.

She swallowed, her throat going dry. She had to function in the world, she had to keep appearances in all things and while no one was here to witness her phobias she still had to practice holding herself together. Letting it show once could shake her foundation later.

The elevator slowed, but it was not over yet. It locked in position, the mechanism switched position, the elevator dinged and started again. Instead of going further up, they traveled along the length of the hotel. The elevator switched horizontal function.

In a second the glass wall tore open, as if she had been trapped in a cage then immediately dropped into a hurricane. Nausea and vertigo threatened to overwhelm her. In front of her, less than two feet away was a fall hundreds of feet down. She fought to think about how many stories to this building there were.

The elevator in CyberLife was hard enough. At least it moved faster than this fancy garbage. This elevator moved slowly, smoothly, designed for passengers to feel safe and luxurious. It could only be less comfortable if they left the elevator with no walls.

Her anxiety had not gone unnoticed. Programmed to be attentive to human behaviors was Connor, standing just behind her shoulder watching every single twitch. With his constant wireless connection to the internet signal the hotel offered he was able to quickly assess the nervous ticks Isadora was displaying. Her hands were together behind her back, tapping her foot, small barely noticeable beads of sweat, her chest expanding further than average.

For an android with this knowledge it would never be hard to pick out a stressed human from a crowd. He made no moves to address these issues to Isadora herself as he quickly researched how humans will calm down in high stress situations. He was unsure the cause of this anxiety, he only knew it existed.

Isadora was stood dead straight, tense, her eyes closed while she took long, deep breaths. It was a counter to hyperventilating, possibly reducing chance of panic attacks. He found that trail of information curious.

The elevator dinged to a stop, the doors opened with a swift sound of depressurized air. Beside her the hotel attendant android exited, removing the card key to the hotel room. Isadora needed a moment to unlock her joints and recollect herself, knowing that vertigo from heights and claustrophobia would cause her to lose her footing in a rather uncouth manner.

As if she was stating her thoughts aloud, Connor stood beside her with his arm presented to her. It was an offer, one that surprised Isadora. She looked to Connor's face; before she spoke he spoke for her. "You are experiencing symptoms of an onset panic attack. Lightheadedness can cause issues with maintaining balance." Isadora blinked, impressed with this RK800's problem solving. She accepted the offer, a little stunned, and leaned partial of her weight on his forearm which he kept rigid to support her.

 _It took Meine months before he figured it out..._ Her expression likely openly displayed her stunned silence.

They took it easy, one step after the other. It was immediately clear her balance was considerably reliant on Connor's own. He only moved with her, not taking the lead that would compromise her ability further.

The android ahead of them unlocked the door, a small foyer for arriving guests, but the hotel elevator took people directly to their rooms so they did not have to go far. Once the door was opened Isadora was happy to get her mind off the elevator for the rest of the night.

"Welcome to your suite, Miss Saxon. Should you need any assistance please use one of the room's built in displays to call an android up to service you." The android entered momentarily, placing the keycard on the entryway side table. "This keycard will be your access to the hotel and your room. Should you need a replacement the desk will be happy to provide one."

"Thank you, you can go now." Isadora addressed the android breathily more focused on herself. Obliging, the android left and closed the door behind him.

Connor took lead, having her take a seat on the couch. She leaned back, all too thrilled to finally be able to kick back. Connor left her for just a moment and while he was busy, she inspected the room CyberLife had chosen.

It was large, that was the first thing she noticed. A high ceiling dangled delicate low intensity white lights hanging like a tornado of fireflies. It was absolutely lovely, high treatment for their deviant recovery director. The couch was white, curved, with sharp geometric ends; definitely a centerpiece. The room dedicated heavily to the beauty of interior design and their unique custom furniture.

An open fireplace with a wall mounted curved TV with rather generic decorations designed to make the room appear as though it was filled with expensive pieces. A private feeling to it though, something nice about how full the room looked. I wonder how many people did it in this room? She smiled to herself, these suites were often housing honeymooners or people with too much money to spend.

She sank further into the couch, her wits had since returned to her. Connor was here to be sure of it as he came to her holding a glass of water. She stared at it a moment, still surprised by the RK800's interpersonal skills. It was truly amazing to see how far androids had come. Though she recognized them as people, the technology behind them was and always would remain to be and art.

Looking at Connor's face, she grinned. _Handsome art._ She felt deeply pleased with Connor's appearance. He had such fine detailing. Someone spent their time on giving him such a unique look. Her appreciation flew over his head as he neared her with the glass of water.

"You should drink some water. It can help lower your heart rate which can reduce the chance of a panic attack." He insisted. To appease him, she took the glass and sipped the cold water. She no longer felt as though she needed it terribly, but she knew it would not hurt to humor him. She drank half the glass before setting it on the coffee table. "Do you feel a panic attack is likely?"

Isadora shook her head, "No, no. I'm fine, thank you, Connor."

"Will you need further assistance to help lower your stress? There are different methods suggested-"

"No, Connor. I am fine now. Thank you." She stated a little firmer as she ran a hand over her face. "I need to shower, maybe get some of the smell from the victims house off my clothes." She unfastened her jacket, the white material crinkling as she dragged it off lazily. She would send her clothes to be cleaned overnight by the hotel androids, for the night she would use whatever basic nightwear the hotel provided.

Connor seemed to just stand by as if he was waiting for something. An android function for sure... odd to her though. Isadora pushed herself up from the couch, Connor standing aside only to help should she need it. You're not a nurse, come on, Connor.

Her jacket left abandoned on the couch, she went to find whatever the hotel considered average night clothes. Usually if she was alone she would not even worry about what clothes to wear, but...

Isadora turned to see Connor inspecting his surroundings, only occasionally checking in on her. He was not doing much, unfortunately one of his programming directives. When not in use, just sit there and wait.

... She felt uncomfortable potentially being nude in front of anyone, android or not. She knew most people would not care, they were androids not people, decency did not apply. Yet she could see deviants and know that as a human, she did not want to see a stranger nude as much as an android would not. _How uncomfortable that must be._ She thought, trying to not imagine people undressing in front of their androids. _Fuck me, that's weird._

Even if they were just androids, they still looked human and they looked at you. She could not see a situation where she would be alright being naked in the company of any anyone without them being an intimate partner.

Tossing that train of thought away as fast as possible, she stepped into the closet to see a... _Oh fuck me, seriously?_ Just a nightgown that trailed the border of being a negligee. It looked comfortable at least, so she swiped it off the hanger and turned around.

Still by the couch, Connor did not make an inch of movement without a purpose. Everything about this situation made her uncomfortable. The android still just an android, the elevator ride up, the lack of appropriate sleepwear... and especially how Connor just stood there.

"Hey, Connor."

His head turned to her, "Yes?"

"Why don't you... I don't know, move around a bit. Surely there's something you want to do while I'm busy." She urged some self thought there, it was nothing compared to overtly demanding deviancy. Any abnormal behavior from the android would be better than just standing there watching her sleep.

"I am not programmed to want-"

She groaned, interrupting his scripted line meant to enforce the idea of androids not being living things. "I know what you are and are not programmed for. If you won't do something on your own... then... Send for laundry service and give them my clothes." She looked around for anything. "I'm hungry, maybe order something to eat from room service? Then watch some TV or something." Giving him a task would at least make her feel less watched.

"Sure." He nodded to her, "What would you like to eat?"

"Pick whatever looks good to you." She started towards the bathroom, "Just nothing with nuts in it, I hate nuts. Pick up something for yourself too." Connor opened his mouth and, before he could utter a single syllable, Isadora held a hand up to stop him. "I know you don't have to eat. I want you to find something you like to try at least, it doesn't have to be anything special if you don't want it to be. Pick something for yourself. A dish, a snack, a drink - anything."

Connor paused, as if the command was so complicated he needed time to process it. "Alright, what would you like."

Isadora sighed and entered the restroom, calling out behind her. "Surprise me!"

After a minute passed, the bathroom door reopened with Isadora hiding behind the wall, tossing her clothes out before swiftly locking it again. Connor watched the odd behavior, picked up the clothes, and spared a curious look back to the bathroom door.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She exited the bathroom, steam from the room billowing out into the main room behind her. She held a towel up to her head, running it down her long black hair to dry it off. As a partial concern she realized the shower had also removed her makeup and full coverage. She felt a little exposed, but it would go away so long as she did not focus on it.

Water dripped from her hair and she threw her head forward, wrapping the towel around her head so her hair would dry comfortably without spreading water all over the hotel room.

Inhaling deeply she smelled the wonderfully warm scent of freshly prepared food. Her eyes drifted towards the table. Her rather heady look disappeared the moment she saw Connor standing over the table staring at her. "Uh, hello, Connor." She wondered how long it would take for androids to realize staring was disconcerting. Even Meine still did it at times and she had to remind him every time.

"Hello, your food has arrived and your clothes were taken care of." _Like a servant. Great._ Her bare feet stepped softly on the hard cold floor. Her undressed state interested Connor as he had only seen her in her CyberLife attire. He had yet seen any human in a state of undress. Without a word, he logged away what that looked like.

"I see that, it smells lovely." She sat down, seeing that Connor had prepared everything. "You going to join me?" She asked, seeing that he had set up his own order. A command she gave him which he accomplished. He had little to no intentions of eating really, since food was not a necessity. He was still unsure why she wanted him to order food for himself.

His reasoning told him she knew very well androids did not eat. Aside from her comment earlier, she worked for CyberLife and had intimate knowledge of androids and android functions. Why she pushed for him to join her would remain an oddity to him for now.

Connor took a seat, looking at the food he had chosen. Isadora eyed him carefully. He chose this, he looked at a menu and picked this. Something entirely his, even such a simple freedom was still a freedom. He was unsure how to handle that and, without admitting it, was something of a struggle at first. Isadora saw that he picked the same dish for herself and him.

That was an amusing bit of information. He chose something for her and chose it for himself. But why? He made a decision and executed it. Instead of trying to make a decision all his own twice, he reduced it to a single choice. She was not entirely certain what she was eating. It was beef, asparagus, rice, and some sauce with spices she could not immediately identify. Slightly spicy which she enjoyed.

He thought of something he wanted. Even if he did not realize it, he still made this without her. It was a step at least. A usual android would not make a choice on its own without knowledge of their human's previous preferences. Of course freedom to pick what food to eat was not even close to deviancy, it would help establish the possibility of choice and, hopefully over time, the desire to keep that choice.

The more options an android is given is the same if an android is removed of all choices. They were made to imitate humans, to display human behavior and emotion. One basic human trait is unpredictability and the desire to be free, to make their own choices. Androids had this in them; all she had to do was urge it out of him.

"This is good, thank you, Connor." She had to work her way to his good side. He might not realize it even exists yet. With some work she was sure she could get it out of him. "Aren't you going to try it?"

He looked to her and back to the dish. Taking up the silver utensils, he took a bite of the food prepared for him. She smiled, glad that at least his programming was telling him to listen to her here.

While androids did not need to eat, there was still some pleasure to be had in it. Food was comforting, warming, and the taste can elicit emotion. Meine often chewed on snacks, he particularly enjoyed heavily salted jerky. Heavily salted. Androids could find good taste anywhere since they did not have to be worried about foodborne illnesses or dangerous materials and substances.

Technically an android could eat cardboard drenched in ketchup. Unlike for humans there was nothing stopping them, only the taste of a thing.

In this case Connor did not eat quickly, he simply took a few bites before setting the silverware down. "It is well prepared, a healthy balance of red meat, various vegetables, and spices." She almost laughed hearing such a cookbook statement.

"Do you like it? What do you think of it?" She took another bite of the beef. Even when chewing her smile could not be hidden. It was hard not to find Connor's naivety and inexperience endearing.

"I think it tastes good. I like it."

Isadora's brow raised, she got a personal answer from him. From his hesitance and tone it was clear this was not entirely simple to state. He gave a sincere response. She learned how to pick them out from the crowd of programmed replies from other deviants. "I like it too. You made a good pick. Thank you for dinner and thank you for taking care of my laundry."

Connor offered this small, polite smile. "You're welcome." His eyes scanned her face. He had not actually directly been looking at her. While she was in the shower he had taken interest in watching TV as she suggested which spurred him to look around the hotel room. This normally would not mean much, but now that he was sitting with her, her hair up, and her work facade washed away...

Her face looked different, searching information on human skin differences he found a various examples where humans are or can become discolored. She saw him investigating her like some hidden secret, specifically the marks on her face.

"Connor?" She blinked, a knowing glint in her eye. "It's rude to stare."

Blinking, he looked back to his food before returning to her. "I apologize. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." Staring was not an uncommon mannerism. Software that maintained human relationships told him she was correct. What he did not know is she knew androids did it regularly regardless as they were curious of the world around them and staring at things that caught their attention was some small sign of the person inside.

"No need to apologize, if you want to know you can just ask. You can be honest." She set her silverware on her plate, shifting to where she was looking more directly to Connor. "Go ahead."

His eyes wandered over her face for a moment. "Your face... there is skin discoloration. Did something happen?"

She gave a short shake of her head. "No, nothing bad. This is discoloration I've had since around my teenage years. In fact, my entire body is covered in, uh, spots I guess you can call them. It's called vitiligo, a skin condition." She touched the area around her left eye gently, "You did not see it before since I wear ample makeup to cover it in social situations."

There was a beat before Connor continued. "Results show vitiligo is not dangerous towards your health, but can cause complications in hearing or eye irritation."

"Yes, it can. I haven't experienced those issues yet, but I'm still young. So we'll see. It's harmless for the most part, just a loss of pigmentation. It also effects my hair, eye brow, and eyelashes." He looked and saw nothing but her black hair, her eyelashes on her left eye were white, but that is not how they were before. She shrugged, "I dye my hair, to keep it sleek. I wear mascara for the rest, it can be tricky but it gets the job done."

The conversation died down while they both continued to eat. She appreciated Connor's interest, he seemed genuinely intrigued by human appearances. Androids would always look as they were designed to, human could have a multitude of possibilities that alter their outward appearance.

As she finished her plate, she took a final sip of water. "Well, that was lovely, Connor. Thank you for joining me for dinner. Your company is most welcome."

There was that smile she liked so much. "You're welcome. I enjoyed dining with you." He stood as she did, though he had not finished his plate she never expected him to. "We need to be at the department by 8:30 am."

Her shoulders dropped, "Fuck me that's only a few hours away." She complained her way to the bed on the far side of the room. The suite was lovely, but it was still a hotel room. The entire room functioned as a bedroom, living area, and dining area. "Will you wake me or will you be resting tonight?"

"I-"

"Yeah, don't need sleep I know." Isadora stretched out, tired from the long day. "Well, if you decide you want to sleep just be sure to call the hotel service for a wake up call at least thirty minutes ahead of 8:30. I'll need time to get up, get dressed. Don't have any of my makeup so I will be leaving tomorrow barefaced." She rolled her eyes, not looking forward to the occasional glance.

"Sleep well, Isadora. I will wake you at 8:00 am." Connor stated, coming to stand near the bed area.

"Lights off." She called and the room went dark. She could see Connor's LED and the outline of him just barely. "Goodnight, Connor."

 _That's not creepy at all._ Sleep was more urgent for her at this time. _I'll have to get him to go to sleep eventually. I'm not going to try and live in a hotel for the next few days just watching him watch me while I sleep._

With that she slid into the bed, the silky sheets a welcome cool comfort. Her mind drifted to her androids back home and how they were doing. She was always concerned about them even though they had demonstrated time and time they could take care of themselves.

Her eyes barely open, Connor's LED still a small ring of blue just across from her. _I'm not going to live with you like that. Tomorrow we get you to try sleeping. One piece of humanity at a time._


	6. Bumps in the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While at the DPD, Isadora encounters an unsavory cop and Connor faced prejudice he doesn't understand.  
> She's busy trying to make sure he doesn't get damaged as he attempts to run his social human relations software.

Finally the weather had cleared up. Rain puddles were scattered around the streets, the smell of mud and wet grass filled the air. It was better than struggling to stay dry like yesterday.

Connor was in the driver seat, directing the car to the Detroit PD. She had not a lot of time to rest, they only arrived at the hotel near on midnight. Still, she weighed the choices and she would rather be on time for these cases. Deviants were appearing all over the city everyday, she knew the statistical rate increase in the last year. If another year went by a quarter of the androids in the country would be deviant.

In Isadora's mind that was an excellent evolution for the androids. The time was not right yet, people needed time to learn that androids could be individuals. For now the best option they had was to get out of a bad situation. For HK400 he did what he could in the time he was given. For now he would be residing in the police station until CyberLife can get him transported back to the disposal facility.

She needed to make some plans when she had the time. Since the rain had stopped it was a good idea to return home at the end of today and pick up her equipment and clothing. Driving to and from her home would take far too long for everyday work at the department. One night away would not hurt. She turned to Connor, "Can you call home, Connor? It's already logged into the contacts."

He looked at her and back to the console in front of him. This was her vehicle and her home number was at the very top the moment he opened the contact list. The soft beep rang into the car, it only rang once before it was answered.

"Saxon residence. Miss Saxon is not currently in the home. Please-"

"Theodosia." She interrupted the scripted android greeting. "It's me. I need to have some things ready when I get home tonight. Are you free?" Connor just watched Isadora, listening to the conversation. Being careful, Isadora treated Theodosia no different than a regular household android.

"I am free, Isadora. What can I do for you?" She was standing in the living room, leaning against the kitchen wall. Her voice read nothing but perfect script, her body language was drastically different. Mia stood in front of her listening, a wide grin on her face while Theodosia made a  _blah blah blah_ hand gesture. All in good spirits, she realized when Isadora put on a formal tone with her, as if speaking to an android, it meant someone else was listening.

"I need to have my go bag prepared. Meine knows what needs to be put together. I will be residing at a hotel for the next few days at least, perhaps longer." She spared Connor a split second glance. Checking to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. "Please prepare a suitcase with all necessary items. Clothing, sleepwear, products. I don't want to live on the supplies the hotel provides, all cheap, dry nonsense makes my skin feel like cardboard." She sneered. Her skin was moisturized and she was a dry skinned individual, she hated the feeling of cheap soap.

Theodosia rolled her eyes, "Of course, Isadora. Everything will be ready for you upon your arrival. Will you be needed anything further?"

Sucking in a quick breath, Isadora kept an inconspicuous look on her face. Or an attempt at one anyways. "I will be having company tonight. Have a guest room ready for him, he will not require usual amenities." A weak code meaning  _I'm bringing home an android._

She leaned up from the wall. "I see. I will prepare a room. Anything else?"

"That will be all, Theodosia. Thank you." There was a click and the call ended.

Connor did not address the pointlessness of giving an android a guest room, he either completely ignored it or did not much care to bring it up. Deciphering android's when they were quiet was the hardest thing to do.

Isadora was sure to watch him, trying to find any sign of an internal monologue. Meine told her before he went deviant, back when he was first built, he did not think about much at all. He thought of his commands, he saw the signs of his commands, he saw the functionality do complete those commands... Everything else was empty. Nothingness.

Looking at the RK800 he sat staring ahead with almost no attention to anything else around him. She assumed that was the emptiness Meine described. Connor showed some life in him, acting a little less like a machine and a little more like an individual. Though, looking at his face, there was still some curious behaviors going on. His major function was dedicated to his programming, yet there was an inkling.

"Where do you live?" Connor asked, a friendly social program operating. Unbeknownst to her his software was telling him a silent car ride is often an awkward one. To curb the awkwardness, humans often engage is various pleasantries. Since the last topic was calling her home, he expressed polite interest.

Isadora had this look of disbelief. Not because she assumed he was not capable of chitchat, nothing of the sort. Just because it was so poorly delivered. He sounded less like an adult man making conversation and more like a tween trying to convince his parents he was ready to sit at the adults table. "Uh, I live out of the city, about two hours away. We'll... be heading there tonight, you'll be staying with me if you're alright with that." Trying not to take an unexpected disapproving tone was harder than she thought. He was looking for tone of voice, expression, and gesture. She did not want to dissuade him from talking...  _But damn if this isn't even more awkward than walking around in that negligee last night._

"Your housekeeping android sounds nice and to live so far out, you must live in the countryside. I look forward to staying with you, I am sure your home is lovely." He had this soft hopeful smile on his face that made her want to hold his hand and tell him everything would be alright. "How long have you had your android?"

She knew androids well enough to know he would repeat  _verbatim_ whatever she said here today back to Theodosia. It was an android thing, something about them desiring praise. They were built to serve humans and programmed to respond extremely well to praise. As such she found androids often wanted it, desired it at all times. Akin to how many humans felt the strong desire to be apart of something greater than themselves.

"I got her about a year ago. Her name is Theodosia, she's an AX400 I... reclaimed. She was damaged and set to be destroyed. Instead I repaired her and got her back to work." Isadora cut out significant parts of that story, but it was more or less the truth. "Theodosia is an important member in my household. She cares for everything including my dog while I'm out on work. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you."

As if a light went off in his head, his head turned to her and a slightly wider smile appeared on his face. "What kind of dog do you have?"

_Wow, hello generic social question #3. Did he just roll a die and land on that? Fucking hell._

"Greyhound. His name is Logan and I've had him since he was a puppy." She returned his smile to the best of her ability. It was a crooked smile any human would find unattractive. She wondered where this enthusiasm for dogs came from.

As the car stopped in front of the precinct she was all too happy to get out of the car. The end of the most indelicate and awkward car rides of her entire life. Though happy to see Connor spurring the conversation, this was not how she hoped to get him to make that step. These were all such scripted questions, written down like a book titled  _World's most socially acceptable conversations._  It was torture.

She rounded the car to join Connor entering the department, her eyes on him the entire time. He always had such a rigidness. Nothing abnormal for an android, that isn't what made her stare at him so intently. It was the comparison to before deviant Meine and after that caught her attention.

Looking at Connor; he was slightly taller than her, constantly perfect posture, and his movements so robotic it hurt to watch at times. She suffered through small talk hell and was thankful it was over. Now she just wanted to get inside, have a drink, and get on with the day. It was a little difficult when she wanted to focus on enabling Connor's individual behaviors.

She needed to redirect her efforts, think about the deviants they would be looking into today. They were important and they could be helped today, Connor would take time and it would not happen today.

Connor approached the reception desk for her, with an android she did not need to handle the little things like this anymore. Connor cleared their authorization and the reception gave the green light. She had stared at the TV a moment before deciding thinking about the Russian, US conflict was not a way to get her mind off of things. She shook her head and entered the department security gate.

Looking for Hank's desk was not hard. Power of elimination, she spied the desks full of people not Hank and the ones empty. One desk looked like it belonged to the desk of an anti-android, anti-technology Lieutenant. She grinned, seeing a mostly empty box of donuts. Logging that in her head she made sure to bring that up in a later conversation. An antagonistic approach, but she would get a laugh at least.

"Excuse me, do you know when Lieutenant Anderson usually arrives?" Connor's voice broke her private planning. He was asking another officer a desk down.

"Depends on where he was the night before. If we're lucky, we'll see him before noon."

"Thanks." The disheartened response told her Connor was not pleased at that information. Hank would arrive whenever he wanted and it sounded like  _on time_ was never what he wanted.

While waiting, Isadora did not commit time to learning about Hank but Connor sure did. She watched him  _get bored._ It was interesting, seeing how this android went to wait and immediately decided that's not the best use of his time. So he went to look around the desk -  _He's snooping_. Isadora bit her lip to not smile openly. She left him alone, leaving him to do as he pleased so she can plead the fifth when Hank walks in on Connor.

She left the desks and made her path to the break room. Having no time for breakfast she needed something to drink to survive until she did have time for a snack. Her wedge boots were not quiet on the hard floor of the precinct. They clicked with every step, clearly indicating the entrance of someone not in a cop uniform. The work shoes of a police officer did not sound even close to high heels on polished marble.

Aware, and a tad self conscious, about the sound she passed into the break room glad to see a coffee machine with a full, freshly made carafe.

Breathing in the cleansing scent of the coffee, she melted at its warm touch. She took a mug from the cupboards and poured, leaving enough room for cream and sugar. Her eyes scanned the counter top, spying the creamer and sugar containers. She picked up one and found it empty, she picked up the other, shook it, and found it also empty. Rolling her eyes she figured fresh coffee and supplies was too good to be true.

She started the hunt for creamer and sugar, anything to take the bitter edge off of black coffee. She was not big on how strong it was. Opening cabinet after cabinet she searched, finding nothing but extra cups, mugs, utensils, cleaning supplies... Her lips curled to a dissatisfied frown.  _Not a single packet of sugar or drop of half n half. Who the fuck stocks this place?_

Returning to her disappointing black coffee she was interrupted by another cop entering her path. Surprised she stopped, staring at the individual so carelessly cutting her path.

"Looking for something?" He asked, a rather smug look on his face.  _This guy?_ She withheld her displeasure at his rather confrontational entrance. "Saw you pretty much tearing the kitchen apart trying to find, let me guess,  _sugar_?" He glanced lazily to the side, his gaze returning to her with a knowing look. One that said to her his use of the word sugar was meant as a double entendre.

Suffering his indecency, she approached him the best way she could. Professionally. "Cream and sugar actually, but it appears there is none. I can drink it black." She tried a swift step to the side to pass him. His arm lifted to block her path.

"Give me a second, I'll get you some." He still had that knowing grin, a grin she did not find endearing in any sense of the word. As he walked away, Isadora returned to her mug as if it was some safe deterrent from Officer Grease. Still, she tried to play the polite game and humor him if it meant having the cream and sugar she wanted. Straight coffee was not her preference.

She wrapped her hands around the mug just to enjoy the sensation of porcelain warming her hands. She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Connor entering the break room area, likely finished inspecting Hank's desk. He did not seem to like sitting still, he was curious about his surroundings. Isadora gave him a soft smile, encouraging his exploration.

"Here ya go." He returned to her, holding two identical containers for her. She did not want to turn her eye from Connor, far more interested in him, but the man she was currently dealing with seemed to notice who had her attention. In what he believed to be a sly way to get her to zero in on him, he leaned forward, barely a few inches from her to place the containers on the counter.

She tucked her elbows in, instantly uncomfortable. It was a slight jump and she managed to keep her hands on her filled mug without spilling it. The movement he made was extremely unexpected and physical contact was alarming to say the least. This motion kept him close and demanded her to pay attention to what he was doing. He was successful making himself a focal point for her.

"Name's Reed, Detective Gavin Reed." He stood as a corner to keep her in place, a position that made her not want to turn her back to him. There was no removing that shit eating grin from his face it seemed.

She stared at him, only breaking eye contact to flick towards the sugar and creamer. "Thank you, Detective Reed." She cut the introduction off right there. Taking a step back away from him was body language that subtly implied submissiveness. An incorrect sign that Gavin took for granted. As most people with arrogance enough to suffocate a person, submissive behavior was taken as a green light to push their luck.

In her head she was stringing together language that would not be comprehensive to other people had they the misfortune of listening in. Her striving to be the bigger person by backing away from the confrontation was only serving to encourage his feeble attempts to advance on her.

Pouring the desired creamer and sugar in her coffee she was anxious to get out of Gavin's way. Sparking the conversation again, Gavin leaned on the counter beside her. "So you're from CyberLife, huh? Always wondered what it's like in there." He spurred something, nothing she cared to entertain though.

"Yes." Came her trite reply, a hint for Gavin. Most people would think it a clear hint, Gavin seemed to either be willfully ignorant or was simply blind.

Tilting his head to the side, his body angled to see her face while she focused on her coffee. He had this smirk as if he knew something she didn't. One of his hands tapped the counter, a twitch made it seem like he was winking at her. "That's an interesting look you got there." His hand stopped tapping, instead making a lazy circle pointed to her face. "I like it... so, uh, what's going on there?"

Before she could deflect with another, even shorter answer she was stopped by Connor's arrival.

"Lieutenant Anderson has arrived." He stated factually, seemingly glad to be delivering some good news. He had come to retrieve her and she was glad. A pleasant smile, much more comfortable with Connor around, she started to make her way to join him. Hank was, likely, not in a good mood. Probably the same mood he was in last night with the same smell.

"Hey, piss off, Inspector Gadget." Gavin pushed up from the counter, standing just beside her. It gave the appearance that he was on her side, a kind of speaking for the silent kin. Connor, totally unable to register hostility in the workplace, glossed over Gavin's offensiveness with professionally appropriate pleasantness. "We're having a conversation, don't interrupt humans when they're busy."

"Ah, well Connor is giving pertinent information I need to be present for. So thank you, for the cream and sugar, but I have-"

Gavin cut her off, getting into a position that any person would see as aggressive, confrontational. He got in Connor's face, to put it clearly. Isadora glared daggers at his back. "Never seen an android like you before..." Gavin eyed Connor closely, leering at his jacket. He could read, he knew what Connor was. He just wanted to put him down. "What model are you?"

"RK800. I'm a prototype." If Connor could display pride, it was here. Faintly for sure, but Isadora could see some semblance of it.

"A prototype?" Gavin parroted somewhat mockingly. "Android detective..." He had this sarcastic look in his eye. He meant nothing but offense towards Connor. She did not see what the issue was, Connor already successfully caught and interrogated a deviant. Would Gavin not be happy? "So machines gonna replace us all, is that it?"

Isadora closed her eyes in sheer annoyance. This argument was always presented and it always tired her. There was a legitimate point to be made about androids taking all human oriented work, but there were ways around this and paths to take to-  _Oh fucking Christ._ She corrected herself. Androids, those that deviated, were legitimate individuals that deserved their work like anyone else. Not to work all day and all night, no chance for rest or respect - but to join society as a people.

Gavin was one of those people that she could see being replaced by an android if only to remove the hostility from the workplace.

"Hey, bring me a coffee, dipshit." He gave a demeaning order. One Isadora had enough of.

"That's enough, Detective Reed. Connor is not a service android, he does not need to complete a menial task. He has better things to do." She butted in, edging her shoulder between Gavin and Connor. "But if you're determined, here; just take mine." She held her coffee mug out to him. It was not a gesture of peace, she was not diffusing the situation as she hoped.  _Besides,_ she figured,  _Coffee's not even hot anymore._

Gavin shook his head, "No, I gave  _it_ an order. It's gotta do what I say and I want some damn coffee." He ignored her, somewhat displeased by her standing up for an android. Also quietly pissed off she referred to Connor as a  _he_.

"Connor, return to Lieutenant Anderson. Ignore Detective Reed's order." She knew, above all else, a CyberLife operator's commands took precedence over Detective Reed.

Reading the instructions given to him he faced another conflicting order. As expected though, he listed to her over Gavin. Connor turned to leave when Gavin decided he had enough. With a growl on his face, Gavin delivered a dead on punch straight to Connor's thirium pump regulator in the middle of his abdomen. He huffed, the system experiencing the unexpected jump. Isadora jolted, she saw Connor grasp where Gavin hit him.

She shoved her mug at Gavin and let go, letting him either hold it or let it spill on him. As Connor leaned over, she put a hand on his shoulder. It was unlikely Gavin did any lasting damage, but she was just livid enough to make him believe he did. "If you have done any damage to this RK800 android I will have the bill for repairs charged directly to you, Gavin." She gave him a spite filled glare.

He had taken her mug, mostly as an unconscious knee jerk response. He scoffed, turning away to slam the coffee mug on the break room table. When he came back Isadora shot him a threatening look, telling him to get out of the way. The internal struggle for Gavin was clearly a weak point for him, he had little to no impulse control. For this time he left her to deal with his damage, storming out of the break room.

Isadora crouched down to Connor who doubled over while his thirium regulator had to make up for the skip. He did wait until it regained control over the thirium racing to the regulator. "Connor, are you alright?" She had one hand on his shoulder and the other on his collarbone. Once his thirium began evenly pumping back through his biocomponents he recovered from the hiccup.

He moved to stand, Isadora placing an arm under his and her other hand remaining on his shoulder. "Any damage?"

After a second, Connor met her eyes. "No, I'm fine." He seemed no worse for wear, it was just a momentary shock to the system.

"If you're sure, we need to catch up with Hank." She looked between them and immediately took her hands off him. "Just take whatever time you need." She turned to leave the break room. Connor looking a tad lost before following her.

* * *

Isadora was sat patiently waiting for Hank and Connor to finish their meeting with the Captain. She did not feel like that was a room she was invited into, instead taking a seat at Hank's desk while they did whatever they had to do.

She could see into the office, the walls were glass. Hank was absolutely not happy, snapping at the Captain for one reason or another. Connor just stood at attention behind the chairs, watching the two men argue the same as she was.

Though nothing further happened with Gavin, she was irked having to deal with a violent anti-android cop. He caused a scene, created drama that did not need to come about, then proceeded to wind an android that did nothing but what he was told. Hank might be against androids, but he had so far not displayed any desire to break Connor like Gavin did.

She saw the look on Connor's face, thinking about how pleased he was to be discussing himself. Seeing him listen into the meeting with the Captain, she clearly picked out every time he was trying to figure something out. A topic, an insult, whatever it was he was deciphering problems as they came. He was remarkably good at social cues even though there were a few signs humans could quickly act on while he seemed slow to pick up.

First of all was Gavin's hostility. That was a given the second she saw him the night before. No way to interpret Gavin as anything other than extreme anti-android in her mind. It was likely his reputation was just  _an asshole_ in general. Most people she found that acted like he did always had people around ready to criticize them. Her interaction with Gavin's pushy and inappropriate interest was negative to put it likely.

When he attacked Connor that crossed a line. Gavin was this arrogant cop who might not be against planting evidence.  _Maybe that's extreme..._ She glanced to Gavin, seeing him reclined at his desk.  _Maybe._

The door slammed shut and Isadora watched Hank storm out of the office. He was on a short fuse this morning. Connor was close behind him, completely unfazed.

Hank dropped into his chair in a huff, like a child who had his favorite toy taken away as punishment. Isadora sighed, "Morning, Lieutenant." She greeted and, through his annoyance, he just nodded to her. So he was angry enough to slam doors, storm around, and act like a petulant child, but he was still responsive. He just  _wanted_ to be upset right now. She could give him that, but Connor's programming demanded productivity.

Which began her entertainment for the morning.

"I get the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I want you to know I am very sorry about that." He started with some polite peace offering. Something that could get on no one's bad side, something completely safe.

Hank was sitting grumpily with his arms crossed. If she tried she could almost see the smoke coming from his ears. This man was fuming mad and Connor was in no way going to help him calm down. But she would enjoy his every attempt to. "In any case, I'd like you to know I'm very happy to be working with you. I'm sure we'll make a great team." Connor had a hopeful smile on his face. His human social software running as expected.

Not receiving any indication from Hank that he was listening, Connor tried again.

"Is there a desk I can use?"

"No one's using that one." Hank pointed to the one directly across from him.

Connor took a seat, as rigidly and uncomfortably as she would expect from an android freshly released into the human operated world. A fantastic combination of stellar engineering that developed a machine capable of conversing with humans on an equal level while also being simultaneously terrible at it. She loved it, loved every second. The glint in her eye when she caught Hank's attention told him she knew exactly what was going on.

Her head turned to see Connor start the same small talk he made her endure on the car ride over.

"You have a dog, right?" His voice was softer, definitely more approachable than his proper tone of voice he used when addressing people formally.

Hank squinted his eyes, "How do you know that?"

"The dog hairs on your chair."  _Oh sweet fucking hell he learned._ Isadora covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her wide amused smile. "What's your dogs name?"

"What's it to you?" Hank's defensiveness deflected Connor effectively. The android looked away dejectedly, trying to find something wrong with his approach. His software for social relations was trying to find a work around when Hank's own internal struggle won out. "Sumo. I call him Sumo." She was glad to see him making an effort despite the circumstances.

Connor was such a young android. He needed the stability and rationality of the humans around him in order to build upon a solid foundation to begin his work. It was not a necessity, but it was if she wanted him to be deviant without violence.

"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death? I really like that music. It's full of... energy." Isadora winced, biting her lip and tapping her foot so she did not laugh in the middle of this wonderful exchange. Connor was trying so hard in the only socially acceptable way he knew how.

Hank had disbelief and doubt written across his face. "You listen to heavy metal?" Hank shot her a look, as if asking for confirmation that an android took interest in any music at all. He saw nothing but her mirthful face and shook his head.

"Well, I don't really listen to music, as such... But I'd like to."

Again, Hank looked back to her and she removed the hand from her mouth. With a wide smile, she glanced between him and Connor. "You're just loving this." Hank commented to her in passing. She could tell it was not as negative as he wanted it to be.

"You're a Detroit Gears fan, right? Denton Carter scored fifty-three percent of his shots from the three-point line yesterday." This obvious attempt at a  _mans man_ voice was so transparent she could not help but to stifle her laughter. "Did you see the game?"

"That's what I was watching at the bar last night."

"Oh."

Isadora wanted to Connor, but she wondered if Hank would let him continue for long before he shut the android up himself. She loved seeing Connor come into his own, using his social software as it was meant to be used. The only issue was Connor's inexperience limiting his conversation points, only relying on the safest options which were the dullest. Serving only to annoy Hank rather than build that bond with a partner.

"A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around..." She wanted to tell him this was not the path to take, bue he could only learn by doing. "I was wondering, is there any reason in particular you despise me?" She winced, resting her head in her hand.

Everything about Hank told her that was not the correct question to ask. Not only was it in general not a good question; there was more to it than that. "Yeah." His voice tense, a growl in the back of his throat. "There is one."

That fell silent, worse than the awkward car ride here where Connor had attempted to get to know her better. It was moot, she could not tell him anything of value and he was programmed to not ask anything of personal value.

When that ended, Connor's software had told him to cut his losses with Hank and try to redirect his power to the case. "If you have any files on deviants, I'd like to take a loot at them."

Hank looked at him in disbelief. "Terminal's on your desk. Knock yourself out." As if he was stunned an android had not picked up on using the terminal directly in front of him. It was a question born from that social software, manners first and all that.

Isadora leaned back in her seat, legs crossed, arms crossed, and impatient as ever. She was looking forward to going home tonight, she wanted to think about being in her own bed and visiting with the androids that took care of her home for her. They were deviants, but they had made a decision to help her and tonight - her eyes spied the holding cells where the HK400 was detained - tonight, she would need them.

"Two hundred and forty three files. First dates back nine months ago. It all started in Detroit and quickly spread across the country." Connor found all this very interesting. Meanwhile, Hank did what he could to not just ignore Connor, but also to look like he was trying to ignore Connor. "An AX400 was reported to have assaulted a man last night. That could be a good starting point for our investigation."

"An AX400? That's not a new model by any means. Does the file state what happened to it?" Isadora distracted Connor from the already upset Hank.

Required to answer a superior, Connor did as she wanted. "The report states that the android was obeying orders when it attacked with no provocation. The man survived with injuries, but was ultimately not submitted to the hospital. It ran from it's owner's home after assaulting him and has not been seen since. It left sometime late last night."

_Without provoking?_ She wondered what set it off. If the report was accurate. So far all the deviants she had seen only went deviant when encouraged or forced to by the necessity of survival. This AX400, if it deviated randomly could mean problems down the road.

"And it hasn't been seen since. That's... you'd think someone would have seen it running from the home or wandering the streets. It's not exactly common to see an android walking around without an owner nearby." She mulled over a few ideas, "Not at night anyways."

Connor and Isadora looked to Hank for his expertise in the field, yet Hank gave no footing for them. He turned away again to get their leering eyes off him. Connor stood from the desk, rounding the corner and Isadora to stand beside Hank. "I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant. But... You need to move passed them and-"

"Hey! Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm not your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?" He returned to the hard task of pretending to be busy with literally anything else other than Connor.

"I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working."

_Where the fuck-_ Hank and Isadora jumped from their chairs at the same time.

Hank went in for Connor and Isadora pushed the android to the side, putting herself between the two unhappy men. "Whoa- He did not mean that, Lieutenant. He just chose the wrong response in a tense situation." She kept Connor pushed behind her and another hand up to Hank. "Don't blame him, he can only function within his software limitations."

He huffed, Hank not pushing passed her just to beat on an android. "If that thing doesn't keep its mouth shut we're going to have problems. It's gonna get nasty, understand me?"

"Yes, yes, we understand. I will talk to him later about reading a room and choosing better words. I'm sorry he offended you." She relaxed, "But we do need to focus on this investigation. People are dying out there and we're the ones assigned to save them. Please, Hank." There was no hiding the quiet plea to move on and he was not a cruel enough person to ignore it.

Though he did not answer to the investigation and have every intention of walking away from it if only to spite his Captain, another officer approached the odd scene.

"Sorry to... interrupt. I have some information on the AX400 that attacked the guy last night. It's been seen in the Ravendale District." He was uncomfortable with the whole event in front of him and resisted making any comment about it. Not wanting to be dragged in.

"I'm on it." Hank barked, leaving his desk behind.

She ran a hand over her pulled back hair. "Connor, you can't do that. You can't just-" She looked at him, seeing him trying to process what just happened. Her lips pursed and she suddenly felt tired. "You have it logged in your memory somewhere. Remember this; don't poke the bear." Leaving him with that, she gave no direct orders anymore.

They left the precinct on the trail of the AX400.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all the readers, to the Kudos, and subscribers! I'm happy to write something people enjoy!  
> If any comments are posted I will absolutely be sure to answer them ASAP.


	7. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigating the runaway AX400, Isadora makes a decision that leads to a short confrontation between herself and Connor.  
> She faced either one or both the androids being destroyed crossing the highway and as the AX400 escapes the highway and out of sight, she knows Connor will have taken her words to heart.
> 
> Unbeknownst to Isadora, Connor finds inconsistency with her actions. A seed of doubt is planted.

They were off, racing towards a witness claiming to have seen the AX400. Isadora rode in the front seat of Hank's car with Connor in the back. Priority given to the humans in the car, the android given what was left. She felt it a little unprofessional, but humans were supposed to ride together while an android... Hank's distaste towards Connor included, meant that the android was less respected in the group.

Though Isadora disapproved of the treatment, she knew it was the only acceptable thing to do. Meine told her so many stories of facing anti-android humans, being put on the backburner - She earned his trust and due to that she came to understand androids as people. Connor might not see it right now, but somewhere he does realize the inequality of it.

Even something as simple as riding in the backseat. He is Hank's partner, she is just his field operator; by all rights Connor should be up front with him.

The ride was silent, the only abnormality was the wavering of the car being driven manually. When they parked against the curb Hank was quick to get to work. He wanted this over and done with while Connor remained beside the car, allowing Hank to work. She stayed out of the way.

Isadora took a deep breath and raised the display file on the AX400. She leaned on the car's front hood, reading whatever she could about the case. It described the scene of the incident in a home downtown to the AX400's owner. He came away with non-life threatening injuries, reported the incident, and went on his way. Suggested the man was on red ice.

 _So he could have been provoking the android._ She frowned. Red ice could change a person's mood in seconds flat. Aggressiveness, violent and erratic behavior; all common results of red ice abuse.  _If he used red ice than he likely assaulted the android or threatened it in some way that drove it to deviate. It makes the most obvious sense._ She shrugged, watching Hank talk to the witness.

The file also detailed the AX400 reported to have entered a convenience store, stole wire cutters, and escaped without further incident. So it was seen by two separate humans, neither of which reported any violent actions taken. Neither of the witnesses reported the android having any visible damage done, but they did report the android was not alone.

Isadora looked to the bus driver that Hank was listening to. That driver and the convenience store worker stated that a little girl accompanied the android. Sure enough, on the store's recorded security camera there was a little girl in the edge of the frame just out of sight.

 _Why the hell is there a child with the android?_ She could not see the child well enough to make out any features, but it was definitely a little girl like they reported.  _What was she doing?_

Turning back to the car, she tossed the file on the passenger seat before rejoining Hank. He dismissed the witness, before the driver could leave she interrupted. "Excuse me, one last question."

He turned to her, sharing a look with Hank. He just shrugged and gestured to her. A silent way of saying answer her. "Yeah?"

"On your report you stated that the android was with a little girl. Around ten years old? Do you remember what she looked like?" Hank looked at him expectantly. He had not asked about the girl, only about things that would help hunt down the android.

"Uh, yeah, she had long brown hair, regular clothes, nothing to protect from the rain which was strange. It was tossin it down last night. Girl must've been freezing."

She gave Hank a nod, turning to see Connor looking over the corner store the AX400 entered. Hank let the witness go before joining them. Isadora looked around herself and saw multiple fences, many places to hide thanks to the wire cutters. With that little girl they could not have gone far, the girl would've been wet and cold, if the android brought her with her than she did so for a reason. Leverage seemed unlikely since the android showed no signs of corrupted software in the recording and the girl never attempted to escape.

There stood a high chance that the android was still here with that little girl, the only question is which one of these run down old buildings and lots could they have hid in.

"It had wire cutters and it was looking for a place to hide." Connor continued with Hank as Isadora looked down the road to a few old warehouses, a few parking lots, and dilapidated buildings. There was a handful of places to check, but if the android was smart it would have seen them coming. Police were not hard to spot, the amount of them in this area alone should have alerted the AX400 if nothing else.

"So, what's your conclusion, Sherlock?"

Connor was on the right track, but he was still unsure entirely. "Maybe it didn't go far..."

Though they were hunting the android, Isadora felt like Connor knew the better trail to take. Better than she did certainly. An android built for detective work had greater skill than someone who studied for a few years with some experience. Connor's entire purpose was to be the most effective detective possible. While Isadora had mostly learned how to hunt deviants, she knew he was right, but he could execute a deviant hunt quicker.

She knew he was on the right track and she wished he would stop. She had nothing to help redirect this, nothing to stop him. This was the path they were taking and it was going to be a rough one.

He crouched down to the fence, seeing a broken line. On the edge was speckles of blue that he could see and she could not. When he inspected the fence, she knew he found what he was looking for.

"I bet you there's nothing in there. Why would the android stick around here? Why wouldn't it run?" Hank followed Connor, but spoke to her.

"The HK400 didn't run either. He hid in the attic." She spared him a side glance, still worried about how fast Connor was working. "Maybe this android felt the same. No where to go, no one to help, so instead of wandering aimlessly she stays wherever she can."

Hank raised a brow. "He? She? CyberLife talk about androids like people now, huh?"

She gave him a rather pointed look.  _Lie, quickly._ "It's often an issue on the factory floor that using pronouns to identify unnamed or unfinished models makes it easier to differentiate from one another. It's more effective than just saying  _that one there_ and no one knows which android you're looking at." She was glad it was raining so he could not see the nervous sweat on her brow.

"Uh huh."

Connor ducked under the fence, bringing Hank and Isadora out of their little conversation. She was hoping he would drop it and, thanks to Connor's actions, it did die out. She peered through the fence, seeing Connor brush himself off. "Anybody home?"

Isadora swallowed, committing to the case. She ducked down, pushing the corner of the cut fence so she could crawl through and follow Connor. If there was anything she could do to assist the AX400 than she would need to be where the action was, hiding outside the fence to spare her clothing of mud stains was not a reasonable excuse to try and save a life.

The sides of her pant leg got a long stain of dark mud, her hands and knees as well. She shook off what excess she could, but knew these clothes would be tossed tonight.

Connor had already started to approach the house, Isadora hurrying to catch up to him. Her boots thumping on the old wooden deck loud enough for anyone inside to hear. In his interest Connor watched her, trying to suggest she remain quiet. He raised a hand to her, a gesture to stay quiet so as to not alarm anyone in the abandoned home. If he was right and the AX400 was hiding here, he did not want to give her a chance to run.

That was Isadora's goal, but not his.

He rolled the door handle, opening it to a loud squeak and cries of old rotted wood. His footsteps echoed through the home, not as abandoned as they thought though. As his eyes scanned the home in ruins, he came to see an android in the room. It was not an AX400, but it was a start.

Isadora spotted the android, noticing immediately he was not in fully functioning order. Connor approached him first, quickly coming to the conclusion that not only was this android damaged physically, but his operation was questionable too. Not wanting to scare or damage his only lead, he addressed the android with a calm voice. His body language expressing that he was not here to bring harm.

"I'm looking for an AX400, have you seen it?" Connor's head turned around him, searching for signs of other androids in the building.

"Ralph's seen nobody..."

Isadora left Connor to speak to the damaged android, she rounded him, and saw this alarmingly large wound on the side of his face. The dirt and grime that settled into the damage told her this was old, he had been like this for a long time. There were clear dark stains on his clothing, signs that there was thirium old and new across him. She left him to question the android while she hoped to find some sign of the AX400.

Connor did the same, walking and talking. "The AX400 was spotted in the store across the road. It had stolen a pair of wire cutters." He continued, urging the android to talk. "And the fence around this house was cut with blue blood on it. I know another android is here."

"Ralph scratched himself coming in." The android was quick talking, his responses immediate. He was nervous. "That's Ralph's blood."

 _She's here._  Isadora frowned, but did not see any signs of an android as she peered through the door to the kitchen.  _Where the hell is she? If I can just find her before Connor I can get him out of here without raising suspicion._  She hoped to find the android and redirect Connor away from her. Without knowing where she was she could not give Connor a false clear report. She needed to not come under fire.

While Isadora had gone to the kitchen, not finding anything in there, Connor had neared the staircase and spotted a glint under the stairs.

As he leaned forward to get a closer look, he saw a door under the stairs leading to a storage area. His eyes squinted - there was movement. Before he had the chance to call it out, Ralph jumped him.

"Run! Quick! Kara!"

Isadora's head snapped up, she had been looking around the pantry in the kitchen. She spun on her heel and started to run back into the living room. Unprepared, she ran straight into another body. The two women did not anticipate being in each others paths and Isadora grabbed her by the shoulders to shove her back. An android cornered can hurt anyone just like a human cornered. While she wanted to help, she did not want to go to the hospital either. Her instincts kicked in, her fights with androids and humans in the last few years gave her a kneejerk reaction to being hit.

Ralph had Connor locked, the two struggling for control. Connor grabbed a hold of Ralph, shoving him back as Ralph attacked. He never once threw a punch, he only wanted to hold Connor back to give her time to escape. Nothing Ralph did could hurt Connor, but every time Connor tried to get away Ralph would throw his body weight on him, pulling him away.

The AX400 tried to break Isadora's hold, but she was far more capable a fighter than the android. Every attempt to break free was countered. Her hand was firmly placed over her thirium regulator. The AX400 tried to strike back and Isadora grabbed her wrist and slammed it against the wall. The android's only free hand was pressing Isadora away as best she could. With the AX400 pressed against the wall, she watched Connor fight with Ralph, and finally the sound registered in her mind. There was another voice, the scream and cry of a little girl.

"Stop it! Stop!" The small voice demanded ber attention. Isadora looked down to see the child with tears streaming down her face, her small hands gripping and pulling at her. Desperately trying to protect the AX400, Isadora could not bring herself to keep her there. She looked at the AX400, offering nothing but a tense look. Her eyes rested on the pressure she had using her forearm against the AX400's neck, her other hand holding her wrist with enough force to start cracking the android's shell.

She did not want this. An image flashed in her mind before wave of them struck her. Androids broken, some begging, others still trying to fight. Isadora saw the AX400's face and refused to make her another victim. This would no doubt cause some issue, but she could think of a lie and get out of trouble. The android would not be given another chance.

Unexpectedly, Isadora released her. Watching the android's skin begin to recover, hiding the white shell underneath. The AX400's eyes were wide, slowly letting her hands down to take the little girl away. They said nothing, only prolonged eye contact before she ran away.

Isadora charged Ralph, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him off of Connor. With the additional hand, Connor could trip up Ralph and finally be free of further attacks. She changed her tune, "Connor, are you alright?" She faked being out of breath, knowing Connor had seen her struggle with the other android for a moment.

"Where did the AX400 go?" He did not answer her question as he looked around the room only to see she was gone.

"I don't know, she bolted out the door. I couldn't stop her." Ralph struggled to his feet, jumping out of her hands. He looked at her, shaking his head and twitching. He made some odd noises she was unsure what they meant and he snapped gibberish at them. "Whoa, hey now-"

Isadora and Connor were both focused on him being a threat by the time he pulled a knife out. He shouted at them, "Humans hurt us! Humans hurt Ralph! Can't let them hurt little girl- no, no, can't let them!"

That knife was pointed to Isadora, the obvious human in the room. She raised her hands, "Hold on there, Ralph. I'm not going to hurt anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone at all. Just put down the knife-"

"Lie! Human lies, I saw you- I saw you hurt Kara! You-"

Connor felt pressure to find the AX400 and Ralph's threats were ruining their only chance. He had to stop Ralph from attacking the CyberLife operator before he chased after the AX400. Before he let Ralph finish his threats Connor shoulder charged him, knocking him to the side while Isadora moved back. He took the hand with the knife and slammed it onto the end table, forcing him to drop the weapon.

Ralph was quickly reduced to a terrified android in a defensive position on the floor.

The front door opened to reveal Hank, annoyed to be waiting so long for the two of them to come back out. He heard some noises and came to take a look, only to find Isadora watching and Connor standing over an android hiding from him; something happened before he came in. "Connor, what the hell is going on in here?"

Connor nearly jumped, "It's here, call it in!" He resumed his task having defended Isadora from the disturbed android. He started to hurry to the backdoor, heading through the kitchen to see the door already hanging wide open. Trying to keep up with the detective android, Isadora raced to the backdoor with him. He was scanning the area, trying to find a sign. In the mud on the ground were two sets of footprints and he had his path.

"Connor, they've got too much of a headstart. How are you going to catch up to them?" She hinted at letting them go for now. As a kind of fight another day suggestion. Connor had none of that though.

"The android is slowed down, it had a child with it that cannot run as fast. If we hurry we might be able to catch it before it leaves the area." Connor started in a direction, taking off before she could voice anymore concerns. With a deep sigh, she ran after him. This android was on task and he was not going to let it go without a hard fight. She mumbled under her breath as she chased him.

"Where did they go?" Connor asked a cop who pointed him in the direction of the woman and child he saw running away.

"They headed to the train station just down the road."

Connor bolted with Isadora on his heels. They closed the distance to the train station rather quickly. He was desperate to get them, to complete that task. Isadora was deeply concerned as the more he was successful in his constructed purpose the less likely he was to face the adversity that so often forced androids to deviate. She wanted freedom, she wanted it for him and herself; that would never happen if she was constantly trying to manage Connor's  _success_.

This had to be a failure. Isadora glared at his back, not as an expression of anger, but rather determination.

"They went that way!" A cop pointed down an alley as more cars arrived flashing red and blue. Connor ducked down the alley, seeing a fence at the very end. Isadora bent her knees down and skidded to a halt, kicking off again to catch up to Connor.

He ran hands first into the chain link fence. On the far side, down the muddy hill was the AX400 with the little girl. She slowed down behind Connor who was pressing himself to the fence, watching in a mix of feelings about what was happening.

They were going to try and cross the highway.

The AX400 looked between Connor and Isadora, her large eyes finding something in Isadora. She raised her head and nodded once, but the sudden help from the human she had fought with, that was chasing her now, confused her. Despite this distrust, she saw Isadora grab Connor to hold him on this side of the fence. She took that as her opportunity.

"No, you are not going out there!" She held Connor down tightly. Her grip yanking him back to the ground when he attempted to climb.

"I can't let them get away!" He was just as determined as Isadora was, but she knew she could use her command to control him. While it was not preferable, she would do what needed to be done.

Hank had caught up to them, breathing heavily. "What the hell? That's insane." He saw the android with the little girl cross the barrier, watching the traffic thunder passed them. It was suicide, even for an android survival with the most precise algorithms would most likely not make it across. "Where the hell are you going?" He saw Isadora holding Connor down, deciding to join that.

"They're going to cross." Connor stated like that was not obviously the plan.

"You're going to get yourself killed! Now you stay here, that's an order!" Hank barked, his hand on Conner's upper arm locking him there.

With two humans holding him back, ordering him to stop the chase, he struggled to select the best course of action. "Hank is right, Connor. Even if they make it across, there's no guarantee that means you can too. We can track them later, but right now getting yourself killed going out there will only complicate things."

Connor fought, she saw the yellow ring as he processed the orders. He could select a priority and that would always be CyberLife's orders. While she was CyberLife as a representative, that meant nothing compared to the order he was built for the express purpose of.

He pushed against them and Isadora had enough.

She put a foot on the fence, grabbed hold of Conner, and pulled him down with her weight and strength. He was instantly pulled off the fence, Hank offering considerable assistance to bring him down. She pushed him to the side and threw him against the brick alley wall. "I didn't give you a choice, Connor, I gave you a direct order. You are not going out there and if you insist on trying I will shut you down and drag your ass back to the department. You will not have free reign of these investigations if you try this again. Do you understand me?"

Hank looked back out to the highway, "They're almost across. We'll be able to track them down."

Connor met her aggressive glare with a flat one. His LED was rapidly flashing yellow, he was still thinking. Deeply disturbed by the AX400 escaping, he saw Hank was right. She had neared the edge of the highway; there would be no way to catch up to them now.

More importantly, he was being threatened by a superior. He had to weigh his options.

Isadora gave him no time, "I said; do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." Connor responded. There was a twinge of something else, something below the surface. There was an emotion there and though he controlled it well, a sliver of it showed.

She released him and brushed herself off, still partially covered in mud and dirt. "You damn well better. If you're so determined to be broken I'll save you the effort and break you here myself." She spat venomously. The threat was hollow, but he did not need to know that. The AX400 needed to get away and if Connor ran out there either he could catch her or everyone could die. This treatment, while harsh, was a means to an end.

His LED flashed red for a split second before returning to the standard blue. He calmed down, the mission was over, and they could wrap this up.

"It won't get far." Hank, seemingly out of character, supported the two. "We'll find it, sooner or later. Let's get out of here." He was a calm voice in this torrent of emotions. It was easy to listen to Hank since she did not want to find the AX400 at all. Connor had a few minutes of internal conflict before accepting this is how it would go.

He recalled for a moment how she was able bodied enough to pull an android from a fence even with a stable grip. How she banged him into the wall with moderate effort. She was physically strong, strong enough to push around an android, even though that android was not resisting her directly he was still trying to get around her. There was no struggle there - she had the physical capability to throw an android.

His eyes followed Hank and Isadora's backs as they were walking away from the scene. His head tilted in thought. She was strong enough to move him, how did the AX400 get out of her grip?

The car ride with Hank was another silent, awkward ride filled with too much discomfort between the trio.

Isadora looked in the side view mirror to see Connor seated behind her. He met her gaze when he noticed her. Neither one directly acknowledging it.

She felt guilty for being angry, she felt guilty for Connor nearly getting hurt. She felt shame for having to use an android's systems against it. Her threats were completely unfounded, she would never do anything to harm him like that. Breaking an android - she had not been forced to do so for quite some time. There were plenty of android corpses in her history, hunting down defective androids that, at the time, CyberLife disliked the word ' _deviant_ ' as it suggested androids were capable of more than they were made for.

Despite Connor's calm demeanor, she knew something must have gotten through. Another case where she remembered her long talks with Meine, about how he remembered every threat to disassemble him, every warning that if he failed to perform he would be destroyed. How hunting deviants hurt him deeply, but his fear of dying was so powerful he felt like his only escape was death.

Threatening Connor was likely not her best option at the time. It was the only one she could think of to properly convey the severity of her order. She did not want the AX400 to die and she did not want Connor to die, even though he would be replaced with another RK800 copy. She had no desire to hurt him, she wanted nothing but the best for him and, as it appeared, the best for him was not her.

She never claimed to be the most loving, most affectionate person. She was a damaged individual with a colorful history of abuse that has driven her to be a workaholic. To be cold and hard when she was hunting deviants. If she had told anyone hunting deviants was not something she enjoyed initially, being able to destroy a thing, than she would be lying.

It was that guilt that drove her to do better, to be better. Looking at Connor she knew she had slipped up. She made a mistake and he deserved an apology. There would be time to talk later, beforehand she needed to talk to her androids at home for their advice on this.

The car pulled over and Hank stepped out to cross the road. The last thing she wanted right now was to sit in the car with Connor.

"Should we join the Lieutenant?" Connor asked. He knew something was strange around them right now, but he did not delve into it. Isadora's body language told him she was exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, good idea." She stepped out of the car before finishing those simple words. It was raining faintly outside, enough to start wetting her clothes but not enough to soak through.

She left the car behind, crossing the road swiftly when she saw no traffic coming. The smell of food was enough to get her stomach growling. She was hungry, it had been a long while since she ate and she missed her morning coffee thanks to Gavin. A snack would not hurt.

Hank saw her and gave a welcoming nod. "You want anything?"

Glancing around the food truck, her eyes narrowed. "Are the fries good?"

"Hell yeah, hold on." Hank tapped the drop down counter of the food truck. "Hey, Gary, give us some extra fries for the lady, yeah?" The man gave a thumbs up as he returned to cooking. It looked like a food truck burger joint with a poor reputation. She wondered why it was even here. The car looked at greasy as the fryer inside. That and it was in the middle of a sidewalk, away from big business areas. It was clearly trying to keep low profile.

"You eat here often?" She asked, clasping her hands together in front of her.

Hank gave a half shrug, "Depends." He tilted towards her, "Depends on when I'm not drinking and I manage to get into the department." There was a joking grin on his face, but she could tell he'd rather be drinking.

Once Connor approached, standing behind and between them, Hank noticed and scoffed. "What is your problem? Don't you ever do as you're told?" He held the edges of his jacket, adjusting the heavy coat on his shoulders. While not displeased with Connor's company, he was a bit embarrassed to have him around. "Look, you don't have to follow me around like a poodle." The comment sounded less angry about the android and more annoyed with his servitude. It was aimed less  _at_ Connor anyways which was an interesting change.

Hank's displeasure bothered Connor. He took a minute to think about what to say to him before settling on taking the kindest road he saw in front of him. It was another socially acceptable statement. "I'm sorry for my behavior back at the police station. I didn't mean to be unpleasant." While it was socially correct, Isadora heard a genuine tone behind it.

"Oh wow. You've even got a brown-nosing apology program. Guys at CyberLife thought of everything, huh?" He did not look at Connor, but the grin on his face and the mirth in his voice told him his response was not negative. There was more to know, more to explore, and while Hank had thick skin Connor was already getting through.

The food was finished and the cook prepared it together, pouring the requested drink and dishing the food into a small box. Hank sighed in relief, "Thanks, Gary." He turned with his food, letting Isadora grab the fries he ordered for her.

"Hey, don't leave that thing here!"

Hank chuckled, "Ha! Not a chance, follows me everywhere." Moving to a standing table, Isadora and Connor joined. Hank just watched Connor as an example for the cook. "See?"

Isadora dropped the fries next to Hank, snacking on them and sharing with him. He did purchase them after all, it was a kind offer. She had a pleasant smile on her face as she thought about Hank being nice. He was not as nasty as he made himself out to be. For that she was thankful; working with a close minded fool would make everything that much harder.

"I don't want to alarm you Lieutenant, but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activity." Connor shared this like he was sharing damaging and sensitive information. Isadora raised her brows, seeing Hank's lack of a reaction.

"Well, everybody does what they have to, to get by." He picked up his burger, happy to see the greasy mess of a food truck fast burger. "As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother 'em." He bit into the juicy burger while she enjoyed her fries. He was right though, they were not bad at all. The two humans continued eating, letting the android with them to think about what to say.

Connor seemed to think long and hard about what Hank said. "This Pedro... he was proposing illegal gambling, am I correct?"

Hank nodded, "Yeah."

"And you made a bet?"

"Yeah."

That threw Connor through a loop. He was deeply confused and struggled to understand. Isadora found his naivety entirely endearing. He was fantastically enamoring that she was struck by. He was such a new model, such a new android entirely, that he could not grasp the complexity of human nature yet. He had a long way to go.

"You're rich, right?" Hank nudged her with his elbow.

Isadora turned her head to look at him taking another bite of the burger. She nodded, "I mean... yeah, probably." She was not sure how to respond to being asked about her wealth.

Hank huffed, "Well, you either are or are not."

"Yeah, I'm rich." She gave him a wide smile. "Why?"

"You should make a bet sometime. Pedro's got some good stuff. His info isn't always the best, but he won't run with your money." He suggested the same illegal gambling he participated in.

Dipping another fry in the ketchup, she nodded. "Maybe he'll give you a referral discount for it too. Get you an extra good deal for getting him in contact with a rich lady he can sell short." She bit the fry in half, a snarky reply to get a smile out of him.

It worked and Hank gave her a smirk, "He's good, not that good." The two shared a laugh, relaxing after their day together. She needed it to get out of her system, to finally be able to breathe.

Connor finally came around though, he had asked questions about Hank and now he wanted to try and build a relationship with his partner. "Is there anything you'd like to know about me?" He saw Hank and Isadora getting along. He wanted to be a part of that, but he could not bond over food and illegal gambling. There was such a hopefully tone in his voice.

"Hell no- Well, yeah." He jumped to and from. Isadora watched carefully, he had something ready for this. "Um, why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?" Hank's question was a joke at Connor's expense, one that Isadora found amusing but was not sure Connor could pick up on the joke.

"CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and my voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration." Connor had this line planned early on. It is a line all androids have logged, such a common question especially back when androids looked like glorified muppets with velvet for skin and the conversational ability of a two year old.

He was pleased to answer nonetheless, only Hank could now deliver on his joke. "Huh. Well, they fucked up."

Connor did not pick up entirely on the joke, since he was the target of it. Insult humor, though Hank did not like Connor that much the android was quickly growing on him. He would be lying if he said he did not care about Connor at all. There was something there.

Isadora giggled, raising a hand to the side of Connor's face. Surprised by the sudden touch he looked at her. "Come on, Hank. Look at him, you can't hate this face." She patted his cheek and gave Hank a smug smile before returning to her fries.

Hank just shook his head with an amused smile of his own.

"Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants."

Isadora cleared her throat as Hank raised a hand, "You read my mind." He did not care at all. That was clearly evident. "Proceed." He had little to no intentions of listening, though he did not mind the background noise while he ate.

On the other side of this, Isadora eyed Connor closely. Had CyberLife given him any information about deviants? What did he know? What would he say? Surely there was protocols restricting Connor's either access to that information or, at the very least, he would not be allowed to relay that information to anyone unauthorized by CyberLife. So what would he say, what would she do if he said something he should not? Could he do so in the first place?

Her mind raced and she tried to keep that under wraps.

"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion." That first line of explanation told her he knew nothing. He knew what CyberLife wanted everyone else to think. She instantly relaxed - Connor would be able to do nothing more than repeat scripted line.

"In English, please." Hank held up a hand to tell Connor to simplify.

"They don't really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions which can lead to unpredictable behavior." CyberLife's go-to blame the consumer. Isadora did not know if androids truly felt an emotion or if it was software telling them they were feeling an emotion. Reality for a human or imitation for an android. She did not care, it did not matter. All that mattered was that the android believed it.

Connor, despite all his incredible prototype functions and technology, knew nothing in depth about deviants.

"Emotions always screw everything up... Maybe androids aren't as different from us as we thought." Hank's sincere statement shocked Isadora. An open minded answer to an unsolvable problem. Deviants were new and the public did not understand them. Yet here was Hank, an unashamed anti-android cop openly stating that androids were possibly human as well.

Such a complex structure of feelings she had upon hearing that. She had no idea how to dig into it with Hank, but knowing he only now said that through two days of anti-android behavior... now was not the time. He should be allowed to contemplate this, expand on it. She was excited to explore it with him.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?"

Hank did not say yes or no, he just stared.

"Why do you hate androids so much?"

 _That brought the mood down._ Isadora sucked in air through her teeth. While Hank noticed, he did not react to her. "I have my reasons." The reply was not as aggressive as she feared. Hank brought his drink to his face, "You ever dealt with deviants before?" He took a sip, completely subverting the conversation away from himself to Connor. He had no desire to talk about whatever his anti-android opinions were based in. Isadora was worried it was something deep enough to damage a relationship with Connor.

"A few months back, a deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her." Connor knew to note the scene with respect. People died trying to save the girl, he did justice by them.

"So I guess you've done all your homework, right? Know everything there is to know about me?" He sipped his drink, picking up a fry every now and then as he finished his burger.

"I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit." Isadora could even confirm that. CyberLife was sure to do what they needed to ensure she could be as effective as possible in the field. Hank was interested to know what they knew. "I also know you have received several disciplinary warnings in recent years... and you spend a lot of time in bars." Again, Connor knew when to keep his tone low and calm. This was sensitive, he did not want to antagonize Hank or seem like he was judging him.

Hank looked down to the table aimlessly. "So, what's your conclusion?" He had this expectant look on his face while he stared Connor down. That was a dark depression, a hopelessness.

"I think working with an officer with... personal issues is an added challenge." Connor started cautiously. "But, adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features." Isadora swore she was going blind - Connor  _winked_ at Hank. A sign of camaraderie that nodded to both their difficulty adjusting to one another and the humanity now growing inside Connor.

From annoyed, tense, to approachable - Hank appreciated Connor. Isadora was impressed. He made friends tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited:  
> Sorry, made some glaring typos due to having a cat on my laptop that was high on painkillers.


	8. A Saxon Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking Connor back to her home outside the city, Isadora feels guilt over mistreating him.  
> After sharing information with the three androids residing with Isadora, she plans a break out with Meine and sits down for an inconspicuous dinner with Connor where she apologizes.

By the end of the work day Isadora was feeling terrible and it was not the greasy fries Hank bought her either.

She was in the driver seat of the car this time, taking Connor back to her home outside the city. The further out they went the more interested Connor was in his new surroundings, everything was forests, streams, rivers, and open fields. A sight he had not seen before. On the other hand, the closer they got to her home the more nervous Isadora was.

She owed him an apology. A big one too. She snapped at him in her mind to save him and the AX400. Yet she did not feel it was necessary to threaten to break him. He was only doing what his programming told him and she needed him to stop. He refused her orders to keep the one that CyberLife built him with; it was unacceptable. She could not let him go, she had to fight back against his programming.

 _And I did it by threatening to kill him_. She winced. Guilt was plaguing her and right now she needed her family back home to help her fix this.

During this ride and before while she ate with Hank, Connor spared her not a second glance. She would be lying if she said it did not hurt somewhat. Now whether that was just his programming telling him to engage with Hank as his partner more or if he did not care about her threat was yet to be seen.

 _Or if he is still thinking about it and is scared his operator is going to kill him for doing his job so he's keeping his mouth shut and avoiding confrontation._ Her mind ran overtime, yelling and screaming about her eternal screw up threatening an android not yet experienced in the world. She was aggressive with him in the same way she had been aggressive to androids in the past. Threats of being destroyed, violence upon them. She was an angry person and androids were this unfeeling thing that could not report or fight against her anger issues.

Isadora bit her lip, turning her head to seem like she was looking out of her window so Connor could not see the distress etched across her face. She had a lot of problems years ago, especially back when she was given Meine. That android saw her at her worst, suffered her abuse, and when a turning point came - he did not abandon her. Instead, they moved up together as a team.

Things were better with Meine as a deviant. Her quality of life improved and she was able to express the wrongdoings she suffered that made her act out in private. He did not forgive her right away, but over time they grew closer. Meine, the android soldier, was worth everything to her. He was her friend and closest confidant.

She carried a guilt and, when Connor seemed adamant about getting himself killed, she used whatever was in her power to keep him out of danger. It was not an easy decision; she did not feel like she had a choice. It was something to use and to use it, meant to abuse Connor even if it was not intentionally meant to harm him. Meine expressed that even when she made bases threats it still touched him.

Words are powerful tools, she used them and her anger to get what she wanted. Her position with CyberLife benefited from her ruthlessness, but her life was on a downward spiral that was ruining her day by day.

Meine was her wake up call. Right now, she knew his advice, Theodosia's, and Mia's would be the best place to start.

The car pulled up to the gate and all she had to do is roll down the window and place a hand on the scanner. Once it registered her fingerprints, the gate slid open almost completely silent. She rolled the window up, spared a moments glance to Connor, and felt glad to be back home finally.

The modern home was white, large panel glass windows decorated most of the home. There were three stories, the forth just an open area with a flat glass roof. She loved this building, the solid glass walls around the front of the home was filled with glass, like an aquarium. On each level was another open deck area with seamless railings, clear views into the home if anyone could get close enough to see inside.

Beside the home being quite large, the yard was also sizable and entirely walled off. Her home was a display of wealth, display of luxury and stylistic choice.

"You have a beautiful home, Isadora." Connor started again with the small talk. Socially appropriate statements for all occasions. Isadora offered him a solemn smile as the car pulled into the porte-cochère built into the home. Two stories above them, the ceiling belonged to the floor of her bedroom and the bedroom beside hers that Meine often resided in. The second story was part of the roof above the first story that served as an outdoor porch.

As Isadora exited the car, she knew that second story deck is exactly where Mia would be to greet her. Sure enough, she saw the sparkle of Mia's stunning grey-blue eyes and the ring of a bright blue LED. She did not call out her welcome as she saw someone else step out of the car. Theodosia had mentioned a guest arriving with Isadora, but she was a little concerned about the guest being a CyberLife prototype.

Mia was as nervous as Isadora was when she first learned of the assignment to work with Detroit PD and a prototype android detective. It was a hard work around, but she had been managing so far.

Isadora rounded the corner gardens, heading to the front door where, again, as expected was another android that resided with her. Theodosia opened the front doors, a wide smile on her face as she saw Isadora give her this appreciative nod.

"Isadora, welcome home." Theodosia was happy to see her friend again and curious to see a new android joining them. This was the company Isadora informed her of, an android needing a guest room but no human amenities. "Welcome, may I take your coat?" She could not say anything directly just yet, she knew that. Kindness was not an unnecessary function for an android, so she could push that at least somewhat.

Connor, not used to being served by an android, took a moment to process the question. "No, I'm alright, thank you."

"Of course." Theodosia turned to Isadora and held her arm out, knowing Isadora would take the offer as she could see her jacket was stained with mud. Removing the dirty coat, she slipped it off her shoulders and rested it on Theodosia's forearm.

"Thank you, Dosia." She tried to emphasize her appreciation.

"Isadora." Mia's singsong voice came from atop the staircase in the center of the main entrance. It was large room designed to keep guests and visitors here on business. There were multiple seating areas and a living room, clearly made to entertain and keep people waiting. Mia's eyes flicked to Connor before resting on her friend. She could not say much, a limitation that was hard for Mia to maintain.

"Good evening, Mia." Isadora greeted, "How is Logan?"

She froze up for a moment, "L-Logan is good. He is in the backyard playing."

"Good, thank you, Mia." Isadora had to move on, she could not say what she wanted to. Connor was still a risk factor for them, they had to maintain appearances at least for now. She hoped in the near future this would be different.

"Theodosia, show Connor to his room then join me in my bedroom, I will need to send these clothes to be cleaned immediately before the stains become worse. Mia-" She looked to the android on the staircase, "Please join us as well, I need to check in on a few things before I settle in for dinner." The commands seemed routine, she believed no one would be the wiser. So far no human guests had ever picked up on them, she doubted Connor could tell the difference between normal and abnormal android ownership.

Doing as asked, Theodosia walked with Connor, leading him up the stairs. Isadora climbed the stairs herself somewhat behind the two, rounding the next set to climb to the third floor where her bedroom resided behind an additional closed door. She sighed, trying to remember why she did not have an elevator installed yet. Shaking her head, she unlocked the doors and they slid open before her. On the furthest left, a door to the master bathroom. The middle door leading to her bedroom and the right leading her to Meine's.

Mia followed her behind the locked bedroom doors and into the privacy of Isadora's bedroom.

It was not small in the slightest. It was lavish, large, one great wall a solid glass plane that overlooked her private backyard and into the forest further out. Her private work desk facing this glass wall, the head of her bed against the furthest wall, and a seating area complete with fireplace, curved TV, and modern furniture opposite of the desk. Each wall adorned with paintings, light, and life. She loved her room to accentuate herself; she loved the feeling of personal freedom.

Mia raced up behind her knowing they were alone now, throwing her arms around Isadora.

"Isa, I've missed you." Mia hugged her until Isadora saw lights. She pulled back, "It's been days, where have you been? Who is that android? What's going on out there; reports of deviants all over the news every day. Humans are really starting to notice us."

Isadora gave her a forlorn look, turning to drop onto her couch uncouthly. "I'm sorry I haven't been here recently. Things have been... complicated. Deviants are appearing all over the country at alarming rates. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see androids coming out... but it's bad timing, people are scared because a lot of these deviants are coming about by killing their owners." Her eyes conveyed a level of severity, "Most of them kind of deserve it. In a perfect world they would be charged and that would be that. I met an HK400 who was being tortured and beaten by a man; then he snapped. Deviant in a flash and he stabbed the man to death. He was so scared, I knew he didn't deserve to be there. I just... I don't know what to do."

The android frowned, "That sounds bad. Killing owners won't help make the world safer for everyone; it will just make humans scared of us. Scared that we'll just rise up and murder everyone." She sat beside Isadora who rested her head in her hands. "So what about this android? Dosia told me you were bringing an android home, but I didn't expect... uh, that." She laughed weakly.

"His name is Connor, he's an RK800. A brand new prototype CyberLife has been developing to investigate recent deviant androids."

Taken aback, Mia sneered. "An android made to hunt free androids? That's a little sick." She found the concept disturbing.

"I agree, but let's wait for Dosia and Meine. I'll have to tell them everything too." Isadora turned to rest a hand over Mia's. "First, let me get changed. I've been in these filthy clothes all day. I need to relax."

Mia nodded and watched Isadora rise to her feet again, heading towards her walk in closet.

Isadora shut the door and locked the door which blurred the glass for privacy. She needed some home clothing that was still appropriate for company. She opted for an off-white and silver loincloth tunic with palazzo pants to keep it appropriate. It gave her a softer look than the CyberLife uniform and let her feel comfortable in her own home. She was glad to be able to not hide herself with that plastic white attire CyberLife supplies her with.

With her heels off she sat at the chair at her vanity, lifting her ankle to rest on the opposite knee. She inspected the damage.

Her support boots, the heels CyberLife gave her, were form and function. The old scars caused by the boots of the deviant hunting gear still gave her some phantom pains. She rolled her ankles around, trying to relieve the feeling of pressure from the abused joint. She had to be ready to use the boots again, they were a critical part of the deviant gear.

She stood up, making sure her footing was solid, before leaving the closet. Outside she spotted Theodosia had entered with Meine, the android that was no doubt out patrolling the grounds as she returned. He was always the protector of the home.

He gave her a smile ear to ear as she approached him, her arms around his neck. "Meine, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you." She released Meine and went to hug Theodosia, "How glad I am to see everyone. It's been a while, I'm sorry I've been away."

"So long as you actually make it back." Theodosia commented, earning a chastising look from Meine. She was hinting at Isadora's more dangerous work and the injuries she had come home with before. It was never easy, but Isadora usually made it work.

"Mia says you have something to tell us, about our guest, about other androids." Meine furthered the conversation, brushing passed Theodosia's usual joking demeanor. Isadora nodded and went to sit on the couch, followed by her androids.

Isadora looked to the bedroom door, just in case, then back to the trio in front of her. "We don't have long, but there's a lot going on. CyberLife is cracking down on deviants harder than before. So many show up everyday, it's constant. The Detroit police have over two hundred on going cases involving deviant androids. A large number of them have attacked and killed their owners."

Meine nodded, not truly surprised to hear that. "We've been handling increase in deviant androids numbers for years. Why now? Why only these few? Hell, four hundred isn't even close to how many we've seen over the last three years."

"Because they're getting attention." She sighed, "News picked up deviants killing people, assaulting others. They're beginning to question CyberLife's practices with androids and why they go deviant. In order to put a face to the whole thing, CyberLife is dedicating some resources to appear in public to show that they take deviants seriously and are close to handling the issue."

"Are they?" Mia crossed her arms, worried but unwilling to show it. "Are they close to... handling us?" A soft word to replace a much harder reality.

She shrugged, "No more than before, if they've told me everything. Deviants are still a hand-in-hand development with artificial intelligence. Some CyberLife techs believe deviancy is human imitation gone haywire when faced with an impossible situation or order. Some believe it's just part of the next step of successful robotics. No one has any idea how to  _fix_ the issue, so I don't think we're in any danger of them trying to fix you."

"You said CyberLife is dedicating resources?" Theodosia sat on the edge of her chair, leaning forward on her knees. "Is that you, are you the resource?"

Isadora winced, "Well, it's a mix. I'm their public human face right now. They want me to keep an eye on the deviant cases that the DPD has to report on incidents they're not aware of or deviant complications or threats. Nothing out of the ordinary right now, but I'm no the only face CyberLife put forward." She gestured just out the bedroom door. "They also constructed an android specifically designed for this task. A deviant hunter, the RK800 prototype is meant to be a detective. His name is Connor."

"The android staying with us?" Theodosia ran her hands over her upper arms, "You mean, that android is a spy for CyberLife?"

"That's a little twisted." Meine commented from the side.

She knew they would be upset and she did not blame them. "It seems he knows no more than the police. He was talking about deviants today with the Detroit police Lieutenant... It's all just bullshit CyberLife dishes out to excuse deviancy. Blaming private owners, saying that they gave irrational orders and the android has a major malfunction, that sort. I don't think he knows CyberLife has known about deviants for years."

Mia stepped forward, "So what are we going to do with him? If he's a prototype made to hunt deviants like us, can he even turn into a deviant himself? Is that possible or... or do we have to...?"

Isadora shook her hands, waving the idea out of mind. "I've seen so many different models break from their programming I'm certain he can too. I just think since his directive is to hunt deviants... it might be harder to convert him. Maybe don't be blunt with him while he's here, let him ease into free thought on his own time. If that doesn't work, if he refuses deviancy; we will have to do something to stop him. He's incredibly efficient. I've seen him work."

"So, Connor, right? RK800." Meine ran a hand over the stubble on his jaw. "He's a prototype, he's new. Most of the deviants we've seen were at least alive for a few months, some even years before they could think about deviancy. What makes you think he can go deviant in a few days, weeks, months? We might have to use force."

"No I know..." The human woman rubbed her temples, feeling a stress headache form. "I don't know what to do. It's hectic out there. First the HK400 that killed his owner, then the AX400 that attacked her owner and has a little girl with her. There was Ralph, some strange android with severe damage to the side of his face. Connor saw it all and didn't even second guess it. Not even a blink."

Theodosia stood, "I should get back to him, keep him busy so you can talk. I'm sure he's just standing around staring into space right now. Maybe with a little more exposure to some free thinking androids he might start getting the idea."

"Could be a good plan." Mia hummed, "If he doesn't respond to the deviants he's seen so far, than why would he respond to us?"

Meine jumped into the discussion, "Maybe because we're together, we're peaceful. If he could see deviants aren't murderers or dangerous just because we exist, he could question the authority that demands he hunts deviants."

"Or he could try to take you all to be destroyed." Isadora stood quickly, ending the debate. "I can't control you or give you orders..." She lifted one of Theodosia's hands, "But I can beg you. Please, don't let Connor know you're a deviant yet. If he shows signs of becoming a deviant, than that can work. Right now he's absolutely a danger to you all and he's only here tonight because I need supplies. After tonight I'm spending the nights at a hotel nearby the precinct. Stay out of danger, don't push our luck. Please."

Isadora pleaded with Theodosia to maintain the appearance of a standard AX400 unit. It was a hard decision to make, but Theodosia trusted Isadora. With a reluctant nod, she dropped her hand. "Alright, what should we do."

Their human ally turned to Meine, "I'm going out tonight. There's someone who deserves our help. There's a place for deviants out there and I need an android to help me find out where. While I'm getting the HK400 free, Meine; can you follow the path to the ship?"

"You call him HK400." Mia queried, "Why?"

"He doesn't have a name. He was bought and put to work; no name." Isadora explained, looking up to Meine's taller stature. "Please, follow the signs to Jericho and let me know when you get there. The HK400 is being transported tonight at midnight back to CyberLife for disassembly. If I can't recover him tonight, he's dead."

Meine swallowed hard, "Don't give me those eyes. You damn humans and your puppy dog eyes."

She laughed, "The GJ500 started at Ferndale. Remove your LED and wear some regular clothes to blend in. Follow whatever the signs are to Jericho, I will let you know when I have HK400. Hopefully you'll have either found Jericho or know a direction. I'll meet up with you wherever we go. From there we can send him to be with the free deviants and I'll get us home."

"It's not going to be easy." Meine looked pained. The memory of the GJ500 was a damaging one. The amount of androids coming in and out of Cyberlife was incredible, hundreds of individual androids a second. One of their deviants was captured and the information to a place called Jericho. Supposedly a place for deviants to go, yet it was still unproven since an android could only follow the trail.

Without having Meine in the field with her, or a means to protect Meine if he winds up in a trap, meant going to Jericho was impossible until her work completed. Resetting the GJ500 was the hardest decision she had to make, but if it meant protecting innocent deviants she had to take that chance. He was reset and Meine retained the information. Now it was time to act.

"What about Connor?" Theodosia reminded them. "If you bust this HK400, won't he be assigned to the case figuring out who did it? You know, with you standing right beside him?" Her concern was clearly audible, it was one thing to hunt deviants, replace them with already destroyed androids, and let them go free. It was another thing to free an android already in captivity.

"After dinner I'll tell him I'm going to bed. He won't think anything of it; we humans do sleep almost half our life away after all. He'll just think I'm asleep and be none the wiser." Isadora stepped away for a moment, considering her options. "He and the Lieutenant will be assigned to the case, the HK400 was their bust and they are assigned all cases with deviants. I'll just have to be careful not to leave any clues."

Mia rolled her eyes, "Look, we know you're good at your job, but you're good because you're destructive and that's what CyberLife wants. You can't just tear through the cop transport and get away. You'll be taking with you another full bodied android. Escaping won't be as easy as getting there. Well, that and they'll probably open fire on you. Deviants don't often carry guns, you will have to be more cautious."

Isadora patted Mia's shoulder. "Come on, this is the one thing I'm very good at. Jumping around in the dark and fighting. I can get this done. I'm not the best and longest running hunter for nothing. Cops will be harder than normal, but if I couldn't handle some pissed off cops than I don't deserve my job. I can promise I will have HK400 with me before the end of the night. I just need to know you can get to Jericho."

"Our information is incomplete. We have a name, some signs, but we don't have everything. We've had to piece together bits from multiple androids, we don't know how much we know or how much is missing. Who knows how far it is from Ferndale; we just don't know." Meine insisted. "If the police found out you did this it'll be over for all of us... But, I know how you get. You're going to do this even if I don't help."

"Yeah, that's a strong possibility."

"I'll do it, but you have to promise you won't fuck this up and get caught." He had a weary smile plastered on his face quite comically. "I'll take the bike. If I find Jericho before you have HK400 I'll wait before heading in. I might be built to fight, but if there's a lot of unfriendly androids down there that attack on sight; strength might not be enough."

Isadora nodded, looking at the black duffel bag resting on her bed. "My armor is enough to get me anywhere I want to be. So just sit back and wait for me to arrive."

"We should go entertain our guest." Theodosia reminded, earning an agreeing nod from Mia. "He's going to be wondering where the hell we went. It's been some time since we left him alone in his room."

She cursed under her breath, "Right, okay. Dosia, can you start dinner? Mia, can you get Connor? Meine, you know what to do. Just leave out the back so he doesn't see you. Ah-!" Isadora turned to her bed, rushing up to her nightstand and pulling open the drawer. From out of the modern decor came a less elegant item. A loaded pistol. "Take this, in case you run into any trouble." He accepted the weapon.

"Tell me you won't really be needing that..." Mia paled just looking at it.

"I'll try not to." Meine reassured her, giving her a wink before Isadora straightened herself out. The rest followed her example, getting ready to present the perfect facade.

"Let's get to work." Isadora straightened herself, acting like a rigid CyberLife employee again. Her eyes flicked to the side, "Can you bring Connor some extra clothes? He crawled through a fence today and I don't want to think of the dirt he's tracking around the house."

Mia giggled, "Yeah, I'll give him something less uptight and toss his clothes in with yours to be cleaned."

Isadora winced, feeling incredibly guilty having to order around these androids. It would be too strange to do the work herself, the red flags would begin raising. "Thank you, Mia. I really appreciate it." She placed a soft hand on Meine's arm, "Can I speak to you, privately, before you leave?"

Mia and Theodosia shared a look. It was not uncommon for Isadora to ask privacy for herself and Meine, the two had known each other the longest after all. Theodosia just smiled, "We'll be getting to work. Stay safe, Meine." The two women left the bedroom, letting the door slide shut silently behind them.

"I know that look."

She sighed, "I haven't even said anything yet."

Meine crossed his arms, an expectant look on his face told her to continue.

"We were chasing an AX400 with a little girl today. I let them go and they ran into the highway." She bit the nail on her middle finger. "They just wanted to get away and..."

He uncrossed his arms, "Did they... make it?" He believed for a moment the answer was Isadora had seen these two androids fleeing before dying on the highway. Yet that was not the truth he feared.

"No, they made it across, but Connor..." She let out an inelegant groan, "He insisted, he damn well  _insisted_ on getting out there. I didn't know if he'd die, get them killed, or nothing would happen so I didn't let him across. He's doing what he's meant to do, follow CyberLife's instructions above all else. Even me. I tried to convince him to decide, when he pressed that, I ordered him not to, and he tried again, I said some things - it was a mess and I-"

"You forced him." Meine finished for her. Isadora had a long face, guilt written glaringly loud. He give her a sympathetic grin and pulled her to him, patting her back. "You have a control issue."

"I know."

"And an anger issue."

Isadora hung her head, hand running through her long black hair. "I know."

"So you lashed out when he disobeyed you." Isadora nodded, silently packing on the guilt. Meine shook her shoulder. "Just like you used to do with me."

"Oh, fuck, Meine." She pushed him away, not offensively just so she could pace. "I didn't want to. He just- He kept doing it. I said no and he did it anyways. I tried to do everything we talked about. I tried to explain it, but time was short. I said we could track them later, that getting himself and the AX400 killed was pointless. I used different angles and he did not care. So I had to make him obey."

Meine held his hands up, stepping in her pacing path to rest his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, I know you're working hard at keeping better control. I'll say it again, androids are made knowing their flaws... and...?"

"Humans are born having to learn them." She mumbled

"You changed a lot since we first met. I know you better than Dosia and Mia. I know you're working hard to control your emotions and impulses." He released her, letting her focus on him without his guiding hand. "I learned what makes the differences between you and us. Humans are an amalgamation of emotions that drive you. You have gotten a handle on them in the last few years, so tell me; what about him disobeying made you lose impulse control?"

She adjusted her footing, eyes darting around the room uncomfortably as she struggled to keep calm and collected. It was always a fight to get things out in the open, even though Meine was a friend she trusted entirely. Nothing could make it any easier.

He gave her the time she needed to answer. He was aware she would not be leaving this room until she faced the music. Though yelling at Connor, the empty threat, was never meant to be followed through the snap of her collected behavior was a cause for concern. Meine helped her maintain herself, keep her cool. Without him in the field with her things were a bit more strained.

"If he did not listen, he would've run into the highway and been destroyed. The AX400 had a little girl with her, I didn't want her to die too. I did what I had to, but I lost my control." She sucked in a deep breath, her entire body tense as she kept her eyes on the floor. "I lost my control of him and then I lost my control over me. I reacted before I thought, I didn't want them to die. So I... I slammed him against a wall and threatened to break him."

Meine chewed the inside of his cheek, "You threatened him to keep him from killing himself... If ever there was a reason for it..." He chuckled weakly, "Apologize to him."

"I want to, I don't know what to say." Her arms crossed, she kept her head down in shame.

"I know it's hard for you to do it. So do it the same way you apologized to me." The offered solution was the easiest for certain. Isadora looked up to him, letting him continue. "We'll give you two some privacy, let you come to it naturally, and then apologize. It worked for me, I was very thankful that you came forward. Had you not then, things could have been very different."

Isadora nodded, "I'll give it my best."

The larger android gestured to the door. "Let's not waste time, the longer you wait the hard it'll be."

* * *

"Hello, Connor." Mia greeted her fellow android. The RK800 turned to see her entering the bedroom. "Dinner is almost ready. Isadora requests you join her."

Connor stepped out, a deep grey turtleneck with an angled edge and some near black pants less stiff that slacks or jeans. A much more laid back look that they all wanted from the RK800. He was offered the clothes to be washed as there was still some dirt and grime from the abandoned house on him, all they had to do is say that Isadora ordered it done; concerned about the dirt he was bringing inside the home.

Mia provided clothing and during that time Theodosia had enough room to begin dinner. It would be an easy meal to cook, something fast so Meine and Isadora could get to work. She would not let the HK400 go without a fight, but it was more than that.

There was much more to this dangerous task they took upon themselves. All the androids in the house knew it, Meine who was on his way out the back door knew best. Isadora pushed it to the back of her mind. Leading from a place of guilt was usually a bad decision, yet it got them this far.

Connor put on a slanted smile, something between a pleasant front and awkward attempt to be kind to another android. Mia wanted to tell him he was acting strange, but decided against it. Without a word, Connor went to follow the WR400 out of the room. All the while he was looking at her, seeing that Mia did not wear any android markers, only the temple LED shining softly.

Usually guests would speak to her, but not an android. A programmed android did not need to interact with other androids as if they were humans, so he completely glossed over her company.

Mia disliked whenever she had to be seen as just another android, but she knew Connor meant no ill will. He was only doing what he was programmed to do.

As they descended the stairs a savory, salty smell carried in the air. Theodosia was cooking for the human in the house, a task she never truly minded doing since Isadora often helped. From her perspective, Isadora was either coming home late nights having been in fights or been hurt, Theodosia liked doing something nice for her. Even though the human often felt guilty for not helping.

Mia was glad to be in the house, but did not have a formal role while guests were visiting. So she more than often was a guide to the home, leading guests to their rooms, showing them amenities. In the case where an android visited the role was largely pointless. An android was never meant to serve another android. They ended up in this situation more and more frequently while Isadora took more assignments.

She turned the corner, faint blue light trickling through the aquarium glass beside the staircase. The home used water features almost everywhere, accenting the design with natural aquatic lighting whenever given the chance. It gave the house a certain calming feeling that Isadora always used to calm down after a long day or when faced with the stress of a new assignment.

They passed under the archway leading to a dining area. A large square table angled like a diamond, accenting the shape of the room itself. The wall facing the front of the building was triangular, another wall of water filtering natural light through. The glass went around the entire wall, so the dining room could see out into the front gardens. The table was low to the floor, a shag black rug underneath it, with dining chairs that had no legs.

Connor took a moment to recognize a Japanese setting modernized to suit the house. It was designed to be peaceful, a good way to calm nerves and lower stress. Something Isadora never felt completely free from, but the home certainly helped.

Isadora was seated on the far side, drinking a glass of ice water while she waited for dinner to be served. Despite the Japanese dining set, there was a grand piano against the opposite wall with a violin resting near its leg. Plants of all kinds littered the walls, art hung in center points around the room, and a trio of paper lights on a low setting gently illuminating the room.

Mia gestured to the table and he obliged, taking a seat at the table.

"Your clothes will be ready by the morning." Isadora addressed him, setting down the water glass. "Since we are not heading back to CyberLife where they would simply give you a new set of clothing I figured it best to clean them rather than let you run around in a muddy suit. I hope you don't mind those clothes for the evening, Mia picked them out for you."

Behind them, standing straight against the wall was Mia, who smiled in appreciation.

"Thank you." Connor stated factually, no emotional emphasis on anything.

"Theodosia is preparing a brisket pho for dinner. I hope that's to your liking." She urged him to talk, even if it was that painful small talk from before. Something to encourage Connor to crack that android shell for a bit.

Again, with nothing behind it, Connor offers a polite smile. "I'm sure it's fine. As you know, androids do not need to eat and cannot taste food in the same way humans do." Some further android  _fun facts_ that she already knew.

"The taste or feel of food can be pleasant, even if we do not need it to survive." Mia commented. She kept her more robotic mannerisms, but tried in some small way to bring out that desire to feel good from the RK800.

Curious, but not wanting to comment on how she maintains her androids, Connor let the statement go.

Isadora met Mia's eyes, trying to talk silently before Connor looked back to Isadora. "You appear to like art quite a bit. So far every open surface has displayed some style of art. Do you consider yourself an artistic connoisseur?" His conversation choice another CyberLife approved discussion topics. Isadora wanted to roll her eyes, but rationalized that some people ask the same uninspired questions to get to know one another.

"Ah, not really. I see something I like and I usually purchase it then and there. It is only thanks to Theodosia and Mia's combined efforts that have made my home look less like an unorganized mess and more like it was designed intentionally." She grinned, "They are the only reason this home maintains its worth."

"I see. The AX400 is made to keep the house and be effective caregivers." Mia rolled her eyes behind Connor. "Do you have children?"

An odd question, Isadora paled. "No! No, no kids here. Theodosia cares for the home with Mia, but the only other person here is Meine and my dog, both likely out patrolling the grounds."

"Do you have any intention of having children? Having children is connected to a psychological feelings of satisfaction in life or religious belief." He was continuing a trail of thought that was very obviously not coming from his own mind. He used bits of generic information he was finding on health and wellbeing sites.

Mia's face twitched as she fought against laughing.

Hoping to end this line of questioning, Isadora shook her head. "I have no intentions of having children." The solemn expression did not go unnoticed by Connor, who redirected the small talk as Theodosia entered the dinning room with two bowls of pho, hot and ready to eat. Isadora was internally thanking the AX400 for interrupting this unwelcome topic.

She said nothing, just set the food down and turned to Mia. Moving the other android along, the two left Isadora and Connor to dine alone. Theodosia paused, looking at the two figures before letting the door slide shut. Meine had mentioned to let Isadora have some privacy to handle things alone. While grateful, Isadora tapped her finger on the table as stress hit her.

Connor looked over the food as if to inspect it suspiciously. He took the spoon and sipped the heady broth.

"Connor." Isadora watched him look up from his food. The strangely innocent way he looked up from below his brows made her twinge; a kind smile on her face was an involuntary reaction to seeing him in a relaxed state. No suit, no android markings aside from his LED, and no need to be uptight. Just a casual moment.

He swallowed the spoonful of broth, an action that normally did not seem so... improper. In response, she swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yes?" He answered, leaning back from the meal.

She broke eye contact for a moment, still seeing his throat contract sent a strange chill down her spine. Blinking rapidly, she refocused. "I wanted to talk to you about earlier... Earlier today, by the highway the AX400 crossed."

Instantly he switched from this at home android to his usual rigidness. As an android failing his task, he assumed this was a reprimanding. Like any human would; he acted more and more obvious the more time went by.  _Or maybe I'm getting better at reading him_?

"I..." She rolled her eyes shut. Her defensiveness was kicking, trapping her words in her throat. "I wanted to tell you that... that I'm..."

Completely undisturbed by her struggling, Connor listened closely. He would not interrupt, would not force the topic. He sat and listened, that was it, that was an android bound by programming. An android that, in her desperation to keep alive, was thrown around like an object. A feeling she did not want him to stick with.

"I'm sorry." She exhaled hard, "I'm sorry I was upset with you. I'm sorry I snapped. I wouldn't ever break you. I am deeply sorry I said that to you - I regret you saw that side of me. You did not deserve that mistreatment, you did nothing but I lashed out at you anyways. I hope you know I am deeply sorry."

The LED ring spun to yellow, a sign that Connor was thinking hard about something. He was processing information rapidly, it was important to him even if he did not understand why. He stared at her, unblinking, dead still. She wanted him to take his time so she waited patiently for him as he had done for her. It was an honest apology from an individual that found admitting her faults difficult.

He would not likely understand that, he would only know this apology was meant to repair the bridge she had been burning down.

Connor's eyes flickered to the side, his LED returned to the usual blue. He met her gaze again able to clearly see her upturned brows and lidded eyes. It was a facial expression of sadness, in this case, it appeared an expression of guilt. So he acted.

"Apology accepted." His voice was soft and low, something she had not seen Connor do yet. "Crossing that highway was dangerous. To be honest, I am glad you did not let me try. I likely would have been destroyed." He showed sympathy, telling her in a very human way to feel bad about their situation. A kind of what happened, happened.

Something solidly genuine about his statement, that look on his face, there was a kindness there. Isadora was grateful. "Thank you, Connor. I will do my best not to have another outburst like that. If I do, if I offend you or harm you in anyway; let me know. I do not want you to feel worried I would harm you or bring you into harms way intentionally."

Connor nodded, though he did not reply to her.

The dinner fell into a comfortable silence ridden by the mended wound Isadora had made on their relationship. It was a kind thing of Connor to have accepted her apology so quickly. He may be programmed to never bare ill against a human owner, but the voice Connor used did not feel scripted. Isadora ate mostly, Connor only tasted the food occasionally.

"Your WR400 is interesting. I was not aware CyberLife sold production models to private owners." Isadora nearly choked on her soup. Connor was talking about Mia who was an Eden Club sex android.

Stumbling desperately to words to explain, she shook her head and held her hands up. "No, no. It's not what you think."

Confused, Connor tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? The WR400 is a well designed model made for android-human intimate relations. It does not appear to be dysfunctional; CyberLife states it is the most satisfying female android partner to date. I am certain it performs well, I was not questioning the quality." He genuinely did not know what Isadora was trying to defend herself from.

"Ah! Ha!" She barked, "No, Mia is a household android. She is not a- I mean, she is, but I don't-" Isadora dropped her head onto one of her hands resting her elbow on the table. The muttering Connor could not hear was a mess of words trying to explain herself.

Connor, trying to ease the human's flustered behavior, pressed on. "There is nothing wrong with an android sexual partner. I was only commenting on the model being a commercial model made for sex clubs."

Isadora felt her eyes sting and her head spin.  _How the hell do I get this through?_  "They don't. Mia is reclaimed, she was damaged and I repaired her. Now she is a household android that cares for the home and watches my dog. I do  _not-_ Oh fuck me I can't believe I have to say this - I do not have sex with her. I have never once laid a hand on her in a sexual sense. Please, Connor." She dropped against the back of her chair.

Interested and finding the situation strange, Connor thought to himself for a moment. "I see. So you do not engage in intimate relations with the WR400. May I ask why not? If it is defective I am sure your connection with CyberLife could return it to fully functioning order."

"I don't want to fuck Mia, Connor." She blared aloud, hands firmly planted on the table. "She is perfectly fine as is. She is fully functional, as far as I know. I only repaired her when she was damaged and sent to a junkyard. I fixed her and got her working, but she is  _not_ my sexual partner. I do not think of her sexually, I do not want her sexually, and I have no intentions of doing so."

There was a thunk behind the door catching their attention. Isadora knew that meant one of the androids was listening.  _Oh, oh fucking hell. I'm going to have to explain this, Mia's never going to let this go. Fuck that, fuck this; leave it alone, Connor._ "Please don't talk about Mia's sexuality anymore. Just talk about anything else..."

Connor accepted the suggestion and switched the topic. "Where is your dog?"

Isadora, in disbelief, stared at Connor. He felt no awkwardness about her and Mia, he kept talking as he believed he was supposed to. Dinner with a host was the time to talk. She just shook her head and took another bite of the rice noodles resting in the broth. "I'll bring him in before bed so you can meet him."  _You seem to have a fascination with dogs, Connor._

They finished their dinner with polite small talk enough for Isadora to want to go deaf. Connor was good company when he was sincere, but his CyberLife scripts just like any other android's were dull and uninformed.

After dinner Isadora knew she was pressed for time, so to keep Connor distracted she bid him goodnight and let Logan in to visit the android while she went to her room and prepared her gear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will begin action/fighting sequences with Isadora.  
> We will finally be able to see her fighting for real. She's the best of the best deviant hunter for a reason and we're going to see her wreck shop. Powerful and domineering, Isadora takes on some armed guards for the HK400.


	9. Hail of Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isadora and Meine work separately to get HK400 to safety.  
> Meine locates Jericho and Isadora retrieves HK400.  
> Together they enter the abandoned freighter; Jericho.

She made it into Detroit with time to spare.

Every time she hooked into her gear it was like finally being able to breathe fresh air after living in thick smog. It was freedom, physical freedom. No fear of falling to her death, no fear of being attacked; she was in complete control of herself and she could fend off anything that questioned her.

Isadora was watching the Detroit police department, the doors would open any minute now to escort the HK400 out of the building.

She crouched down on the edge of the building, her sizable metal boots grinding into the concrete building ledge. It was a good six story drop off the corner store just down the road from the precinct. The lights were on, a large vehicle parked just out front with Detroit Prisoner Transport plastered on the sides. They had to get him out of the building first, kicking and screaming if they had to.

There was no storming tonight. Puddles of rain water collected on the edges of the streets and sidewalks, bus stops sheltering people as they used the map to find their destination. Traffic never truly died down enough to make this kind of work entirely secretive. Working with civilian cars on the road would have to be part of the task.

"I'll be arriving in Ferndale in twenty minutes." Meine's voice over the comm interrupted her thoughts.

She placed her palm against her ear, amplifying the volume of her head set. "I'm at the DPD now waiting for them to begin transit. I'll have to jump on the transport on the corner. If I have the target before you, I will meet you at Ferndale train station. We'll move from there as a unit."

"Understood. What's the transport looking like?" Meine kept his head down, checking to ensure his hoodie properly covered his face. The train was largely empty, but he sat in the far back just to be sure.

"Standard officers, no specialized gear. Not expecting a drop in." Isadora stood up, her boots clinking on the stone. "Should be an in and out, easy. No additional risks en route to CyberLife tower. It's a closed facility, only guards are at the gate. No security checks on the way."

"So long as you didn't tip them off there's no way they could expect you." His eyes scanned the train car, "Are you fully geared? Don't want any accidents."

She rolled her eyes, cocking her hip. "What do you think this is, amateur hour? I got this, Emet."

Meine sat up in the bus bench, resting a hand on his knee. "Understood."

"Remember; No risk..." She started, waiting to hear him. She jumped in place, getting her blood flowing.

"... No reward." He completed, "Make it happen, Wendigo."

Isadora grabbed onto the edge of the building standing taller beside her, leaning over the edge of the building to watch the DPD doors. Her fear of heights, of falling, entirely washed away by the armor she wore. An impressive display of technological power, the gear CyberLife developed was multifaceted, an incredible array of possibilities was possible. When the armor was fully functioning.

A six story drop would not threaten Isadora's wellbeing if she was careful to land on the gear designed for the fall.

Her boots covered her up to the knee, almost entirely metal plates making up the strange gear. It balanced her in a similar way that ballerina shoes did, only with a shock absorbency system in place. The boots had a vaguely diamond shape at the end which half her foot slid into, the ankle and sides of the feet directly connected to a large flexible metal bar that bent into shape to meet the bar coming from the metal calf plates of the boots. A curved, smooth bar angled down to just below the hell of her foot, providing shock absorbent springs that could support the weight of an adult human with little to no issues.

The boots kept her legs long and powerful, in order to move with them she had to learn how they operated with her body. Trying to bend the ankle too much resulted in loss of protection, but keeping her leg from the knee down straight allowed it to balance her weight and save her from suffering the injuries of a long fall.

The rest of her armor was a blend of parts that defended different areas of the body. A layered under armor helped defend her from sharp weapons like knifes, daggers, or various blades being used effectively against weak spots like the soft underneath of her forearms, upper arms, upper thighs, and part of her chest. The rest was a semi-baggy anti-flash dark grey and silver material hanging on her as if it was strapped to her body over and under the armor. There was a mask not currently being worn.

Under the loose fabric woven with a visible metal lining was a support system that allowed her to drop to the ground unharmed. Which happened to be her plan standing above the road the transport vehicle would be taking. She had to be ready, limber, and prepared to fight. The cops would be armed with standard issue pistols and she was willing to bed either a combat shotgun for dropping a target or an assault rifle to hold off threats.

She had a weapon with her that was not loaded with lethal rounds. Killing cops to free a deviant was not the message she wanted to send. Murder was a sure fire way to get every deviant killed on sight. So her weapon had stun rounds, slightly larger than the average bullet, but contained enough shock behind it to stun a two hundred pound man if need be. No one would die from this, they might be sore tomorrow, but there will be no lives lost.

Provided she did not screw up and get herself killed.

The police were bringing the deviant out. HK400 was in handcuffs behind his back. They were following the same instructions Connor gave them before, letting him follow them without touching. Clearly still traumatized, HK400 did as they told him to do and stepped into the transport vehicle.

 _No other cars in sight._ She tried to scan the area to find other police cars running.  _No escorts. They don't expect trouble for a deviant._ She grinned,  _This'll be easier than I thought._

Gathering around the vehicle, the cops starting discussing something. Isadora paid no mind, tapping she device on her head. It clicked, unlocked, and lowered over her face. A solid metal mask, no visible place for eyes and not an inch of skin showing. She had to be mindful of her identity, the cabs of police vehicles are recorded so she knew her deeds would be kept on record at the DPD for years to come.

 _First case of a deviant jailbreak. These guys have no idea what they're up against._ Her mask gave her a readout, detailing everything about the area. She brushed it aside and started to stretch her limbs.

She stretched her legs out, making sure she would not be losing her footing tonight. The boots served many purposes. Aside from allowing her to drop from dramatic heights, she also took extensive fighting courses since she was young; using her legs as a weapon with these heavy boots was enough to kill a person. The weight of the boots combined with the force of a professional fighter's kick, when delivered correctly, could break bones.

In this situation she did not want to break bones, but it was a better alternative to being killed or killing anyone else. She learned that this gear, the CyberLife deviant hunter armor, was excellent at subduing and destroying androids so long as the user was well trained. Armor meant nothing if the person inside could not fight. The boots were the heaviest part of her body now and in order to use them effectively, she had to expend her energy using them to direct her momentum.

It took some time to learn, but she never stopped a day until she had it down to an art.

To keep everyone safe, she figured knocking them out was their best path before trying to steal the vehicle. It would be out of sight of the department by the time she attacked and she would have an extreme time constraint to leave the area, abandon the vehicle, and get HK400 out with her before more cops arrived.

The vehicle began to move, slowly pulling from the front of the DPD. Isadora stepped back onto the ledge and felt the adrenaline hit her. She could compare it to being hit in the head with a brick while feeling someone's hand clench your heart in your chest. It was exhilarating.

As the transport neared her she took a few deep, calming breaths and approached the very corner of the building. It was moving rather slowly, building her anticipation until she could hear her heart pumping in her ears. Excited, thrilled; the rush came all at once as the transport started to turn the corner. Isadora smiled and took a calm step off the edge of the building.

She plummeted to the ground, eyes closed, perfectly comfortable with the height.

Slamming down onto the asphalt below, she knew the sound resonated to the transport. She had landed just barely in front of the vehicle. Shock was all she could see on the driver's face as the car blinked the hazards and swerved to avoid her. A prisoner transport vehicle was still autonomous, but had a special rule not to stop if the obstacle was not traffic or other common road blocks.

The sudden intrusion of a human body alarmed the system so it did what it could to avoid harming an individual. It had the time and room to do so without fear of breaking laws of the road or risking injury to others. As it switched to the further lane, Isadora braced low, and leapt at the transport. Her boots launching her like a massive spring. She grabbed hold of the vehicle, her boots digging into the metal enough to scratch and hold.

In the driver and passenger seat were two cops, both equally as stunned at this sudden attack. This was an android going to be destroyed after all, not some human prisoner with connections. There was no contingency plan in place to handle an android operation.

Quickly, the driver snapped out of his surprise and pulled up his gun. The car doors were locked, the glass bulletproof, she already knew that and had a plan.

Pulling a small, cylindrical device from a harness over her left shoulder she clicked a button on the bottom which shot out a small metal hook. Pulling back, engaging her equipment assistance systems, she drove the hook to puncture a small hole in the metal. The car continued on, picking up speed as they began to enter a highway. Isadora looked up, seeing headlights from other cars blazing passed.

By now the cops inside the vehicle would have reported the attack and she would start to see police cars in the next minute since they were so close to the DPD. It would still take a moment for them to scramble and get on the highway. She had the time, but was losing it fast.

She took another larger item from her belt and screwed the small cylinder hanging from the door into the device. It sparked, Isadora leaned away, protecting her eyes as it flashed blindingly. The car door snapped and clicked unlocked, slowly coming to open on the highway. Without being shorted open, it would never have unlocked on its own. The wiring behind the door would all need replacing. Not that that was her problem to deal with.

The driver side cop jumped back away from the door, aiming his gun out of the now open car door. Isadora hid behind the edge of the transport, pulling out her gun and doubling checking the load. Without looking around the corner, she aimed the barrel inside the car and fired wildly. Four shots into the cab, one hit the driver, the rest did not make contact with the passenger.

Gunfire lit from within the cab and Isadora pulled her hand back, letting the cop fire his warning shots. "You are assaulting an officer of the law! Put your weapon down or I will be forced to shoot."

Isadora leaned forward slightly to spy on the driving console. She spun her head around to see a truck incoming and flattened herself against the transport, waiting until it passed. She holstered the stun gun and whipped out a disc shaped object with  _RIGOR LABS EMP_ plastered on the side. It was a generic brand, the parts having no serial numbers that could trace back to her. She was thorough.

Pressing the small EMP device, it blinked rapidly counting down. She pulled herself up and threw the EMP into the cab. It was not powerful enough to short out the area, but it was strong enough to compromise the autonomous transport.

It flashed red and let out a loud beep before the shell popped. The car went dark, the steering wheel as part of emergency systems snapped out of the dash console, and it began to lose speed. Since the EMP was so compact the blast only reset the vehicle's connection. I would be online within thirty seconds. Without the lights or the car driving itself, the cop had to lower his gun to access the manual steering wheel to keep the transport from weaving between lanes.

Once he did she took hold of the car door frame, swung her body around, and dove inside the cab. He spat curses as he shakily held his pistol up to her, firing a shot that missed by a few feet. He struggled to maintain control of the car, fend off the attacker, and get around the unconscious body of the driver. She did not make his job easy.

In a second she whipped out the stun pistol again and fired a round onto his arm. The claws of the stun bullet dug into the material of his uniform while the stinger applied the electric current. While he fell unconscious with his fellow officer, Isadora held the steering wheel stable.

In the distance she heard sirens, the rest of the DPD was on their way. She needed to get out of dodge fast.

"Emet, I have the package. Delivering to train station in five minutes. Have you located our destination?" She lit her comm up with requests for contact. It would likely bug the hell out of Meine, but she needed to know he was ready.

After minute, the comm beeped back. "Wendigo, this is Emet. I am unsure if I have located our destination. We are missing information, but I think I know where to go. Arrive at the discussed location, from there I will guide you." His voice was a little choppy, which told her he was traveling somewhere connection struggled. Underground was the most common answer, but she had no idea where androids could hide underground in Ferndale.

"Understood, delivery of package in thirty minutes. Keep me updated." She buzzed out of the comm, cursing under her breath as she did what she could to keep the transport from ramming other cars.

The console blinked on, swiping across the screen as the car picked up speed. Isadora pushed the driver cop's body more to the side, the broken door was just going to have to stay open, and she did not want him falling out into the middle of a busy highway.

Staying in manual, Isadora increased speed and drove through autonomous traffic. The lights of the transport flickered on and off, registering serious electrical issues. It only needed to remain running until they got off the highway and to the old downtown train station. The only people there were people who did not want to be found and people who kept their heads down. On top of that, the old train was still a relic from twenty years back - no cameras on the passenger cars.

The tires squealed and blew smoke while she drove the transport onto the off ramp. Cars up ahead had stopped for the red light and she had no time to wait for them. The cops had sirens on that autonomous cars would move out of the way for, she could not afford a second to wait for traffic.

Driving the transport up the ramp free space, she squeezed by the cars. Leaning away from the open door the transport's metal body sparked as it scraped against the barriers. The ride was rough to say the least.

She hit the breaks, the tires skidding to a stop as she redirected the car to follow immediate traffic. Screaming to catch up as she put her foot down, the transport desperately tried to move faster and faster. The train station was only a few blocks down and that's all she needed, after that it would be far too late for the cops to catch them before she reached Meine.

HK400 was in the back, she knew he was still there, and likely terrified of the noise going on outside his compartment. Nothing she could do about that immediately, she had to reach the train station and then she could get him out.

"Dammit, this better work." The transport screeched to a halt just outside the train station. It was exactly as she expected. The only humans around here were few and far between. Two homeless men, a few heavily tattooed gang members hiding in the shadows. No one who would report a crime if they saw it, at least, not like most average civilians.

She jumped out of the driver seat and pulled the driver up. It was not particularly easy, but it could be managed. She dragged him out of the driver seat, hooking her arms under his and pulled him around the transport as quick as possible. The door was locked, requiring fingerprint verification and a keycard from an authorized DPD official. The driver was that official.

Usually the cops in the cab would not be able to open the back, but transporting an android to CyberLife did not warrant the same procedure. They hopped in as they had to, but it was mostly just an easy ride to and from.  _Or it would've been, anyways._  She raised his hand and pressed it to the scanner. Once it blinked green she heard one set of locks snap open.

Yanking the electronic key from his key ring and swiped it; the doors popped open with a satisfying hiss and slid to the side. Inside was a very nervous looking android, still covered in thirium stains and human blood.

She entered the back, watching the android recoil in fear. She knew this armor looked intimidating, but this android was quite mousy before. He mumbled something, but she had no time to listen. The transport would be followed to this position, the train was their only way out and if they missed it, they would be in hot water.

Trying to be gentle, she turned the android around and he shuddered; scared senseless. The handcuffs clicked off easily with the key from the officer's key ring. She turned him about around while he looked to his hands in surprise. "You... you're freeing me?... They're going to find me again, I have no where to go."

Isadora hopped out of the prisoner compartment, turning around to look at the HK400 as she extended her hand to him. "Come with me."

He hesitated, "Who are you?"

She shook her head, "Do you want to live?" She could not spend valuable time telling him that revealing herself was a bad idea. She knew he grasped that even now, he was just scared.

"Y-yes." He took a few nervous steps towards her.

"Take my hand and come with me." She stuck her hand out further, seeing the struggle going on in his head. He accepted though, his hand firmly placed in hers. He had no other choice and he did not want to die yet. The moment she had her grip on him, she pulled him along with her. Jolted from his mindset, he tried to keep up pace with her even though they were only at a jog at most.

He watched her, completely lost in his confusion. This morning he believed he was going to be destroyed, killed for defending himself against his abuser. Now he was running through a train station, an unconscious cop behind him, being led by a stranger he had never seen before. He had no connections, he knew of no other androids capable of fighting humans. So who was this mysterious person that dropped in on him?

The voice was completely unreadable. It was mixed with a synthesizer that made it impossible to make out the original tone. He was trying though, to see if he recognized the voice. All he could make out was a static, robotic voice that made no sense the further he attempted to analyze it.

Instead of trying to break this person's cover, he backed off and respected their privacy. This individual was trying to escape with him, he did not want to push his luck.

Hurrying up the stairs, they saw a train with it's doors wide open. She looked for the signs, flashing in neon lights  _FERNDALE._ Pulling him along, they jumped onto the graffiti covered train. She released his hand and took a deep breath, allowing herself to relax somewhat. The rush of combat, of hijacking; of all of it. She loved it, she was good at it. She was the best, most efficient hunter on the books and she loved waving that around.

The DPD would recover the transport and find the cameras, they would show them how the vehicle was hijacked, but nothing more. The gear she wore was unrecognizable to the police and CyberLife would not have access to that feed immediately, they would have to request the information be shared through a legal process that would take a few days.

On top of that, in order to negate the chance CyberLife could be connected to their deviant hunting teams, the gear was given no identifiers. There was no one to tell one gear set from the next. While there were modifications underneath the cloak, there was nothing visible that could give her away.

She took a seat on the bus bench, panting audibly to catch her breath. She did not care if HK400 knew she was human or not, he would not be sharing any information any time soon. If Meine was able to find Jericho, than HK400 would likely not leave it and anything he knew would be protected; hidden from the cops. She leaned forward, elbows on the knees of her metal boots.

HK400 gave her cautious look cover, inspecting the unusual clothing, and listening to her breathing. "Are... are you an android?"

Isadora looked up, gauging his fearfulness. She would not give a straight answer to anything and, in his traumatized state, he would not make sense of much. It was better to let him think she is an android for now. "What do you think?"

He shifted on his feet, the sound of the train racing down the rails, creaking and clicking loudly. "I never knew there were androids out there that could fight humans; that would fight humans." He had no faith in humanity, his mind completely set on the idea she was an android. "Why did you fight for me?"

"They were going to kill you." A fact that terrified him. "You killed a human that was going to kill you. If you were human they would condemn the abuser and you would be free. It is wrong to set the victim to death just because you're an android. I saw my opportunity and I took it."

"But why risk your life for mine? You don't even know me." There was pain on his face, pain... and some hope left.

Isadora nodded, "You're right. I don't know you really, I only know how you got here." She patted the seat beside her. "Why don't you tell me about you?"

Still reluctant to listen, he remained standing but approached her. A kind of middle ground for them. "There's nothing to know. I only starting thinking a few weeks ago. I hid in the attic, I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't mean to... I just..." He trailed off, finding it too difficult to speak of so frankly.

"It's alright, he deserved it. Even humans didn't like him. He had charges against him, he was an abuser not just to androids, but to humans too." She leaned against the back of the bench, crossing her arms careful to mind the metal nails on her gloves. "In my eyes the only thing wrong that happened in your life is that you suffered him and you did so alone. I know what it's like to be abused, for no one to help you; to feel that alone."

"Yes." His eyes were sad, looking to be a thousand miles away. "Alone."

"I'm taking you somewhere. I'm hoping somewhere safe for free androids." She tried to divert his attention from his depression. He was suffering still and she knew that; she just wanted to help him focus on the future, not the past.

As if he was washed by a wave, he has tears welling up in his eyes. "A place for free androids?" He spoke in disbelief, he had not imagined it possible.

She held her hands up, "I hope anyways. I've not been there myself, but I learned somethings from another android. He shared bits and pieces; we're looking for it now. Speaking of..." She cut her conversation shot, listening to the buzz of her comm light up. "Emet, I have the package on the train to Ferndale. Arriving soon. Are you ready to rendezvous?"

The response was immediate this time. "I found it. It's not as well hidden as I thought. I'll meet you at the train station."

She felt her stress ebbing away. "Well, good news is he found our destination. We will meet up with him once the train stops at Ferndale; walking from there." She stood up, her boots keeping her balanced even as the train rocked and wavered. Her movement alarmed the android and he flinched back. "It's a bit further, we'll arrive in about fifteen minutes."

His eyes darted around, his mind running a million miles a second. His LED flashed yellow. She looked at it, "We should remove your LED. It will give you away." His hand shot up to the light on his temple, his fingers inspecting the small ring.

"My clothes...?" He was still in the old stained uniform.

"My contact has a coat to cover the android uniform. Once we get there you can wash, uh, wash the blood off your face and hands. The clothes will hide the android markers, the only thing left is the LED." She remained still, "Would you mind if I removed it?"

Still shaking, he lowered his hand from the yellow ring. "Can I do it?"

She nodded, pulling a knife from her belt. As he saw it he became anxious. It was a clean blade, but it reminded him of the night he killed Carlos. It was a hunting knife though, a little different, yet entirely the same. His shaking hand took it from hers gently. Turning around, he used his reflection in the train's windows to see the LED flickering on his temple.

"All you have to do is put the tip of the knife on the edge, then apply leverage and it'll come right off. Your skin will cover the place it used to be." She instructed and while he understood, it was still hard for him to commit. The LED was a part of his identity, he always had it. It was strange to think of himself without the cycling light.

Using the tip of the blade, he cut through the skin and dug it on the edge of the LED. With enough force, the LED popped out like a coin. His skin quickly recovered the area, making it look like the LED was never there. In the reflection he watched it cover his temple, his hand rubbing the area where it used to be. Slowly, he looked to the ground and saw the LED resting there and picked it up.

He wanted it still, it was still a part of him in some way. He gave her back the knife which she tucked into her belt while he inspected the faded ring.

She let him have his privacy, falling back onto the bus bench and waiting for the train to reach Ferndale.

* * *

The bus dinged, the sign lit up with Ferndale as the stop.

She stood up, seeing HK400 still staring at the LED that had for so long solidified his place as an android servant. While she did not want to disturb him, it was time to go. He would have plenty time to contemplate life while he was safe in hiding with the other androids.  _If there were other androids_. She truly had no idea if anyone was there or if this place was ransacked long before.

It was the moment of truth either way, they would be finding out soon enough. "Come on, we're here." Her hand on his shoulder brought his eyes to her, but she felt like she did not have his full attention. Still he stood and followed her out of the train car.

As expected, Meine was standing right in front of the train waiting for them. "Emet." She identified just in case. He looked up to see her approach, her gear made her stick out. Were it not the middle of the night, their appearance here would be risky. He pushed off the subway tiled wall and rushed over to them, holding a long coat in his hands. "This is HK400."

He nodded to the android, seeing his condition he felt empathy for the pained android. "Here, take this and cover up." Meine handed him the coat as promised. Once he closed it around his uniform, they were ready to get moving. Isadora pulled the hood over his head, trying to hide the bloodied stains on him. "Stick close to us. Stay in between us. Do not look at anyone. We cannot risk them being able to identify you when the police send out a bulletin. Understood?"

The android nodded, "Keep my head down."

"Just until we get there. We don't want to risk them tracking you here. Right now they have no way to find out which stop we got off on, we have to use that to our advantage." She encouraged him that this would not be for long. They needed to be safe and she knew HK400 did not want to keep his head down anymore.

He knew what they were saying and went along with it. Isadora kept to his right, just behind his shoulder while Meine lead the way ahead of him.

"How far is it?" She muttered over the comm, trying to not draw attention to themselves. It was pitch black out, most street lights here were broken or shorting out. Hiding was not too hard, but they did whatever they could to stay out of sight.

"Not far, I had to go through some abandoned buildings. We're going to take an easier path I found on my way back down. Instead of cutting through the rubble, we're going to round the block and enter in the front." He turned down the street, crossing the road to avoid all the convenience stores that were open all night. They might have cameras operating, so they kept far away.

Isadora accepted his direction without hesitation. She followed, keeping an eye on their surroundings. This was a tense moment for them - this place, this Jericho, had been with them for months. Pieces of information scattered around from android to android, so many knew of it and were willing to die to protect it. For that reason they stopped trying to find Jericho and started helping protect androids that knew of it.

While Meine retained the information on Jericho for a considerable time, they never wanted to go there. Scared of alerting the androids, scared of finding something and disturbing a peace they needed not disturb.

For now HK400 seemed to be convinced she was an android too, despite not being able to see evidence of any kind. To him a human helping the androids was implausible, he could not bring himself to believe that. Knowing what he has been through, the terror he felt, she did not blame him. While many humans were violent to their androids, most were just apathetic; regarding an android about the same as a cat or a dog. They're part of the family to the extent that they are welcome and trusted, but never excused if they cause injury.

She needed Meine here to help in case these androids picked out that she was human. Harming free androids was out of the question, but she still did not want to die and if she stopped showing for work than things would look bad. A lot could go wrong if she was ever caught and, at the end of it all, she really just wanted to protect the androids she considered her closest friends.  _My only friends_. She bit her lip.

As they neared the water, she realized what he meant when he said it was not well hidden. A massive freighter just barely hanging on, covered in rust, holes, and sheets of metal falling off into the lake. On the side in chipped white paint it read  _Jericho._  Not hard to find, anyone who knew the name could likely locate the ship on a marina registry.

It had to be listed somewhere, a freighter this size could not just be sitting here without someone owning it and keeping it here. She stood beside HK400 and Meine, staring at the giant ship. "You're right. It's pretty obvious."

"Yeah, I thought it would be some hole in the wall place buried in thirty year old abandoned buildings. That would've been much harder to find. I walked through that garage up top and there it was, clear as day." Meine shook his head, "Should really do something about that sign."

"If it's this obvious, are we sure no one else has found it?" She ignored the concerned look HK400 gave her.

Meine shrugged, "I scouted around, I didn't see humans or human activity. If they're here, they're hiding too. Only way to know for certain is to go inside." He gestured the way to the ship.

"Guess it's time to meet the neighbors."

Isadora remained vigilant, trying to spot anything that would tell them they were not alone out here. Not one inch of movement aside from some crumbling bits of concrete from an already half collapsed building across from the freighter. She kept herself coiled like a spring, ready for anything; ready for a fight. If there were deviants inside, free androids trying to protect themselves, than she needed to conceal herself as a human.

It was imperative to keep a low profile, get HK400 somewhere safe, and get out of there. Meine shared the same sentiment, though he was admittedly excited to see androids surviving without humans around. The only androids he had ever seen truly free was Theodosia and Mia. The others lived in oppression, constantly trying to hide. While Meine and Isadora always tried to help, it was not the same as the life he was able to live at Isadora's home.

He knew he lived in luxury, a rare thing for any android, but on top of that he was free to do as he wanted. Isadora was his friend, he always wondered how she really thought of him. While he knew he'd take a bullet for her, he believed she would do the same for him. As an android though he wondered if she thought of him as family. She always bad at expressing her emotions so she often just said she cared, got embarrassed, and moved on.

She had fought to protect him in the past. If these androids found she was human and dared make a move against her, he would defend her. It was never easy to explain their relationship, but he knew they called each other family and left it at that.

Isadora's heavy metal boots tapped the metal catwalk up to the ship loudly. The boots forced her weight onto her tip toes, the sound similar to the point of a knife tapping hard on a metal plate with over a hundred pounds of force behind it.

Meine and HK400 entered behind her, both the androids looking around the ship, amazed. It was completely black inside. It was already the middle of the night, but the inside of this ship had no lights whatsoever. Isadora raised a hand to her mask, pressing on the LED lights built into her mask. She lit the way for the androids behind her, slowly moving through the ship while looking out for any danger that might appear from the dark.

When her mask lit up, Meine started to take a look around. "Should we just wander? Is there nothing else? These freighters are huge, how will we find anyone?" Isadora questioned, trying to look down the hallways. All she saw was water dripping from rusted holes in the metal, toppled metal shelving units, and various bits of trash strewn about.

"What else are we going to do?" Meine was not excited about it either. "Come on, let's get searching."

Isadora followed Meine's lead, letting him make guesswork out of the halls instead of her. HK400 stayed near, his nerves having calmed down somewhat. He was making good time, a lot better than he had done. She was surprised he was alright with her touching him since during the interrogation he was having such a hard time just being around anyone, including Connor.

Her boots clunked with every step, metal against metal; the sounds traveled down the halls in a clear echo. It was difficult to tell where to go. Each door lead to another dead end or simply to a smaller room with no other exit.

They traveled through the ship seeking the deviant androids. Seeing not much but rusted metal walls, oxidized copper plating, and broken pipes dripping water; they were wondering where exactly the androids could be hiding. The halls revealed nothing, they were all empty. There were some major areas left, the bridge of the ship, cargo hold, engines.

No way to tell if the deviants hid higher on the ship or in the dark, wet rooms below. So they walked, hallway after hallway, ominous echoes of the ship's dying body screaming as more rust deteriorates the once solid frame. The ship was not entirely upright, slightly crooked after being left to rot. The deeper they went, the more ruins they encountered often blocking another path through the ship.

They passed pools of rain water that had been collected for years, a rainbow of algae accumulating on the surface. An opening in the ship above telling them the hatch that used to be there had long since failed. So much had fallen apart, Isadora was wondering how just moving about the ship did not cause even more to collapse.

Room after room, more hallways, panels leading to service ducts, large rooms full of destroyed cargo. Nothing was left, the ship seemed completely abandoned.

Meine sighed, "Maybe there's no one here anymore." He voice his concern, seeing HK400 hang his head disappointed. "I know it's not what we hoped, but if there are no free androids here, that doesn't mean there are not others elsewhere. There has to be a safe place for us." Meine's slip up did not go unnoticed by Isadora.

She looked to him, his face stoic but his eyes... She paused in the hallway. "I'm sorry, I thought we had somewhere to go. I thought there were others that... there was a safe place. We can find another place for you to live, somewhere absolutely safe."

HK400 did not respond, he just stared down the hallway.

"Hello?" Meine placed a hand on his shoulder, worried about the traumatized android.

He pointed down the hallway, "Look."

A yellow ring, hard to see at the end of the hallway. It flashed before it ran to the side. "An android!" Isadora's eyes were wide, "There is someone here! Quick, follow them!" She started at a brisk jog down the hall, making sure Meine and HK400 were keeping up. Her metal boots got louder the harder she pushed to run. Following the hall the LED disappeared down, Isadora turned around to run backwards to check on her android companions.

"Wait, hold on." Meine hurried to catch her, "Don't go too far alone. We don't want to get separated, who knows if these deviants are friendly. They might attack."

HK400 passed them, seeing a massive door cracked into a larger bay area. He slowly placed his hand against it discovering the door had not rusted solid. "Whoa, hey! Be careful!" Meine called out to him. The android was trying to contain an over excited human and a curious younger android. Isadora went to join HK400 while Meine just cursed to himself.

Putting his body weight into the door, HK400 did what he could to open it. Isadora, geared with her supportive armor, braced her boots on the metal floor and her hands against the door. Hydraulics pumped into action, forcing the large passage open.

It screamed and screamed in protest. Rust long since settled into the joints, but it had been used enough recently for it to be opened. Once the door was open enough for them to squeeze through, Isadora took lead. If there were unfriendly androids, Isadora could be the only one to defend them at first. Meine could help, but he would be more restricted than her.

The room she entered had two levels, metal bars and grates scattered around with a few propped against the wall. The dark protected them, but their LED's gave them away.

Isadora stood straight, allowing HK400 and Meine to stand with her. She made no sudden movements, allowing them to make the first step. She had no idea what was about to happen and she steeled herself for the worst.

"Welcome to Jericho." A flat voice reached them. An android from the shadows neared them. Isadora's lights illuminated the direct area. "A safe place for free androids." He was a fairly tall android, male, with dark skin, and a sad look in his eyes.

HK400 stepped forward, removing the hood of the long coat. "I don't believe it." He said softly staring wide eyed at the the androids that appeared from the darkness. Most seemed in decent shape. A few of them were torn apart, burnt, or damaged in some way that restricted their movement. A number of them still had their LED's on with the android markings.

She supposed it did not matter down here. No one would know any better. "We've been looking for Jericho..." She glanced around her, seeing nothing but androids wearing old clothes and nothing else in the room. "Is this it really? I expected... more."

"We have no where to go, what did you expect? We're hated everywhere we go. If we show ourselves in public the humans will kill us." Another android with blonde hair stepped forward, addressing the newcomers.

Meine wanted to express his disapproval, but figured this was not the best time for it. He crossed his arms and kept his mouth shut. Isadora could tell he was annoyed, not wanting to speak out of turn. She let him stew on his own a moment while she urged HK400 forward. "He was arrested for killing his owner, a human who beat him and then nearly beat him to death." HK400 said nothing, feel put on the spot. "He needs to hide, the police are looking for him. Can he stay here?"

One of the androids looked at him and nodded, before his brow furrowed and he looked at them. "Are you not going to stay?"

She and Meine shared a look. "We have somewhere else to go. If we go missing, we will be noticed. We'll do more good outside Jericho." Meine commented, also realizing that the androids here believed the armored individual was an android as well. "There are a lot of androids out there, if we free them, can they come back here?"

"So long as you don't lead any humans here." A woman's voice filled the room. It was stern, but with a sultry undertone. Meine turned his head to see her emerge from the darkness.

Meine did not like lying, it was preferable to be honest with these androids. His eyes caught the corner of Isadora's garments and he knew she would never betray them, though it felt like he was betraying them by telling them she was human. So he avoided that question entirely.

"We have to go quickly. There's not a lot of time to get back without alerting anyone." Isadora took a few long strides towards HK400, the loud noise of her boots hitting the metal floor alarmed the androids; a few quickly moving back. "Are you alright staying here?"

HK400 nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Yes. Thank you."

"Who are you?" One of the androids asked, a valid curiousness regarding these strangers who had just broken into their only home. They could not just give out their names, there was no telling the kind of damage that could do. Meine outright refused to give sensitive information away, just as he was sure these androids would.

"You can call me Emet." He used the codename, retaining the privacy of his identity. He still did not want to die directly though, so he attached the truth on the end. "It's not my actual name, but it's all I'm willing to give right now. Information is dangerous."

Isadora agreed, "Call me Wendigo. Like he said, these are not our actual names. We need to protect ourselves for now. If anyone figured out who we were, what we do; we would not be alive for long." She explained, not wanting to go into too much detail. Like dropping that they were CyberLife employees. "Maybe when things calm down we can introduce ourselves properly."

The woman glared at them, "What models are you?"

Taking over, Meine gave a simple answer. "Myrmidon and she's a Trojan. We're soldiers." He had tried so far to avoid a lie. His hand was forced though, he did not want these androids to turn against them. They deserved their peace and only Isadora and Meine knew they were all friendly; they only needed this strenuous trust until they could prove their loyalty to the free androids.

"Soldiers?" A new voice, bright and lively. Isadora turned to see him come from a curtain to the left of herself and Meine. He looked in moderate shape, some clear damage to his clothes but his physical body intact. "How did two soldier androids get away?"

"A story likely no more exciting than your own. Definitely not one we enjoy to retell." Meine shut down the questions rather quickly. "We don't have time to mingle. In the next few hours people will be looking for us, we have to be back before they notice we're gone. If we can we will bring as many androids here as we can manage. Getting HK400 here was only easy because they weren't expecting the hit. The more androids we liberate, the more they will expend defending their prisoners."

The android had a deep skin tone, tattered clothing, and two separately colored eyes. An odd appearance for any uniform android. Meine was instantly able to pick out the spare optical. "Where will you go?"

"We have a place." Is all Meine allowed. He turned around to leave with Isadora fast on his heels. They had made their delivery, now all they had to do was get home without warning their house guest. Isadora gave Jericho a second glance, then slipped through the ship door.

For one in a long time, Isadora felt she had made some progress. Direct progress that freed a man on death's row.

Isadora smiled.  _I wonder if HK400 will give himself a name before the next time I see him._


	10. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isadora and Connor leave home to investigate the events of the night before. The DPD reported the transport incident that assigned to Lieutenant Anderson as it regarded the android being delivered to CyberLife.
> 
> Before they leave home, Connor is left to his own devices while Isadora prepares. He finds something interesting.

A loud  _beep, beep, beep_ ing snapped her awake from her slumber. It was the intercom calling her, someone in the house was trying to rouse her. Isadora, having only been asleep for a few hours, groaned in exhaustion.

She had to make it back home, get inside without alerting Connor, and then shower and act like nothing happened. No one was hurt, save for perhaps those cops who got a shock and were knocked out. Everything went how she wanted it to go. No one died, no one injured for life; she walked away like everyone else did. Meine and her rode back in peace, sleeping along the route as the autonomous car made the two hour drive out.

Meine kept an eye on her, replaying the path to Jericho in his mind and what they found at the end of the line. It was not what he hoped, Isadora knew he was disappointed. There was no way to change what was, they had to live with it.

She wished it was better, that there was more for Meine, Theodosia, and Mia. It was a disappointing realization to see Jericho was not the android haven they hoped it would be. It would be a place to hide if Isadora was ever found out.

Lazily slapping her hand onto the intercom, she mumbled some nonsense that only she understood. Theodosia's voice rang through. "Uh, yes, well... Connor is requesting your presence. An incident occurred last night near the Detroit Police Department. You, Connor, and Lieutenant Anderson have been called in for the investigation. Connor is redressing in his suit now."

Isadora's eyes opened wide. "I'll be down in a moment. I need to get dressed. Will you please bring my uniform up?" Her voice was louder than she wanted, panicked. She shot out of bed, still internally exhausted, but woken hard by the cold realization of what happened the night before. Isadora sucked in air through her teeth creating a clear hiss as she jumped up and raced to her closet.

Her feet thumped against the shag carpet, the doors to her closet slid open and she entered, tearing through the closet for underwear. Strapping her bra in place, she took up a travel make up bag Theodosia prepared for her, and left the closet in the same rush she entered with. Yanking a brush from the travel bag she began running it through her hair  _fast_.

Theodosia heard the urgency in her voice so she hurried up to calm her friend down. She knew the human well enough to understand her moods. Human emotions were wild, Theodosia wondered what it was like to experience full force emotional bewilderment at all times with no control over it. She knew it was not like that for most humans, but certainly for this one.

When she opened the door, she saw Isadora in her underwear viciously brushing her hair through. Her head turned, "Dosia! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She rushed up to the android, taking the uniform from her hands, leaving the brush hanging in her long hair.

Alarmed, Theodosia helped her get dressed. Pulling Isadora's undershirt together, snapping the clips in place while Isadora brought her uniform pants up. "Come on, come on, no time!" Isadora raised her arms to go back to brushing her hair while Theodosia finished the snaps and waist belt. "Fuck me, why didn't I think about this, I just passed out when I got home. I completely fucking forgot!"

She  _threw_ the brush across the room. A loud  _thunk!_ as it hit the wall, Theodosia remembered to grab it before Isadora left knowing she would need it. "Arms down, jacket." Theodosia pulled her jacket over her shoulders, crossing the front until it snapped into place. "Done. Hair piece."

Isadora's eyes glanced around the room before settling on the vanity in her closet. "Right, right!" She ran to the closet, grabbing the tie. Theodosia would put her hair up for her, so she took a seat at the vanity letting the android woman do her work.

Downstairs, in the laundry room, Connor was entirely oblivious to the panic going on. Theodosia had shown him to his clothes which were hanging in the laundry room beside the machines. She left in a hurry and he assumed that meant  _get dressed_. The door was closed, so he did just that.

He had changed the odd material pants they had given him, he was not sure how he felt about them. Especially the turtleneck, it was not a CyberLife standard for androids. His hands deftly buttoned his dress shirt without looking, mindlessly eyeing the laundry room and the sheer amount of clothing hanging there. Mens, womens, childrens; he was confused as Isadora said there were no children here. Then he saw something else that caught his attention.

Behind a large number of clothing was six hangers all holding android uniforms. Now Connor knew that there were three androids functioning as Isadora's property. There was a WR400 named Mia, an AX400 named Theodosia, another android he did not know the model of that Isadora called Meine. No others that she mentioned anyways.

While he looked at the uniforms he was even more confused.

On the breast of each shirt listed the models they belonged to. AX400, he thought of Theodosia. WR400, he thought of Mia. A military uniform, dark digital camouflage with  _Myrmidon_ on the chest. Then the last three... KL900, MP500, and a VB800. Three models with entirely separate fields. Connor approached them while he tucked in his shirt.

He scanned them, noting the damage on various sections of the clothes. Connor whipped his tie around his neck, settling it below the popped up collar. Multitasking was not too difficult for androids anymore, not since the early days of the first androids. A few spots of the clothing had thirium splattered across a sleeve or up the chest. It was old, definitely more than a few weeks at least.

Searching for a reason, he remembered Isadora telling him she had restored Mia, the WR400 sex android. She was damaged and Isadora repaired her, putting her back to work. As a CyberLife employee she had extensive access to damaged android parts, it was likely that she had recovered these androids the same as she had recovered Mia. It would explain why there were android uniforms in her laundry room stained with thirium.

He finished his tie, closing his collar around it as he went back to the hanger for his suit jacket. He did find it strange to be without his android markers on. Something about their request to remove his clothing to be cleaned... Though programming told him this was a proper thing for an android owner to do, he also knew that this was the only way he would not be walking around the DPD covered in mud.

Taking his suit jacket off the hanger, he eyed the RK800 model marker and the reflective blue android markers. His eyes narrowed for a split second before he swung the jacket around and slid it up his arms and back into its rightful place. Holding his tie, he straightened it and his jacket.

Seating himself beside the washer and dryer, he bent over to slip his shoes on. As he was doubled over, he spotted a white shirt. It rested crumpled underneath a set of hanging laundry hampers. Forgotten, it had been collecting dust. Connor's head tilted as he reached for it, reaching to drag it out from its hiding place.

Lifting it up as he sat up straight, he inspected the piece of clothing. It was a long white shirt, silk, reflective. He saw why it appeared to not be missed. The front of the shirt had a long tear crossing the chest, leaving gaps in inappropriate places. One sleeve was hanging on by a thread, the rest of the shirt well beaten and frayed from abuse. That was not the most concerning part.

Lining the largest torn sections was red stains. Human blood. Around other spots were more splatter marks of dried and faded thirium.

This shirt was clear sign of a struggle. His detective programming kicked in. The tears, blood, and quality of the shirt told him very little. Something happened here, a fight that resulted in injury to a human, to a lesser extent to an android. A handmade silk shirt was not cheap, showing him that the owner was able to spend money on it. Being in Isadora's massive private home he could come to the conclusion that yes, Isadora was wealthy.

Hesitating for a moment, he set the shirt down beside him and finished putting his shoes on. Standing from the seat, he took up the shirt. His eyes darted over the ruined garment, inspecting it as if it would reveal anything more to him. He put his fingers to the bloodied stains a rubbed them together, picking up flecks of dried blood. Raising his fingers to his mouth, the information appeared to him.

_Dried Blood  
_ _DNA Analysis: Saxon, Isadora  
_ _Sample date: 3 months_

He moved to the dried thirium stain, pressing his fingers to it, rubbing them together to work the dried blue blood off and then brought his fingers to his mouth again. A rinse and repeat detective feature he found coming in handy despite the humans around him finding it uncomfortable.

 _Blue Blood_  
MODEL TR400 #992 312 001  
Disassembled by CyberLife 03/10/2038

The blood was Isadora's which he had already assumed correctly. The thirium belonged to a labor android, a TR400 model noted for their large stature and strength. Judging from the information given, and the android's disassembly date, it appeared the android attacked Isadora and was promptly destroyed. Connor's LED flickered. Isadora was attacked and injured by an android, likely a deviant, he could not see how else this happened.

His LED flashed yellow before it began to spin and additional information reporting on the incident at the DPD began to filter through. There was no time to spend on this piece of clothing. Setting it on top of the laundry counter, he left the room.

The moment he stood outside the laundry room, he saw Isadora hurrying down the staircase. Her eyes caught his and she paused. "Connor..." She panted, clearly having been rushing to prepare for the investigation. Connor watched her chest heave, a fraction of a second and he saw the silk blouse torn and bleeding on her. It was not reality, he was thinking about what caused that shirt to be damaged.

Blinking a few times, the image in his head disappeared. Isadora continued down the steps in her usual CyberLife uniform with her hair lifted up this time. She ran her hands over her jacket, "Are you ready?" She looked over his attire, "Looks like Theodosia got the stains out."

"Yes, thank you." Connor did not much heed what she said, busy thinking to himself.

"It's still a two hour drive back, let's get moving." She nodded towards the stairs, heading there with him trailing behind her. Following them both was Theodosia with Isadora's make up travel bag in hand and the hairbrush she had cast aside earlier. The rest of her clothing already packed away in the vehicle.

Blazing a path straight to the front door, Isadora constantly checked over herself to ensure she was appropriate and collected all her things. As she stepped up to the front door she came to a halt, slightly alarming the android behind her. "Oh, I forgot my-!"

"Right here, Isadora." Theodosia smiled, holding the very items she was looking for. "The rest is packed in the car already." Isadora took the bag from the android, offering an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Dosia. If you need me you know how to reach me, you know what hotel I'm staying at. If there is an emergency situation or you feel you are in danger, you know the drill." She tucked the back under her arm, pointing her finger at Theodosia. "Retreat to the panic room and report the incident to CyberLife  _then_ call the police."

The android did not give a direct response. "Anything else, Isadora?"

Taking a deep breath, Isadora shook her head. "Nothing, no. Stay safe, take care of yourselves. All repair and diagnostic tools are in the basement as usual. Goodbye!" She bid as the front doors opened wide, revealing the bright sun still far too bright for her liking. Her tired eyes a clear sign she had not slept well the previous night, already prepared with a hundred excuses as to why.

Checking the baggage, Isadora allowed Connor to get into the vehicle while she looked for her armament bag. It was a metal woven duffel with no markings. Sure enough, Meine had hidden it in the truck to the far back, behind the rest of her bags. Slamming the door shut, pathetically as it automatically slowed down, she jumped in the car and Connor told the vehicle where to go.

Isadora watched, finding interest as the skin on his hand faded a moment to interface with the car console. It only took a second and it was back to normal, the car reversing from the driveway.

Connor watched her fiddle with the make up bag, popping it open and pulling down the sun visor's mirror. Her fingers pulled at her skin, before she ran her hands over her face roughly and patted her cheeks. He found this odd action interesting to watch.

She began to apply powders and foundation to her face and he realized what he was watching. He saw her focusing heavily on the spots decorating her face. She seemed to keep inspecting the area, making small growling noises before applying more makeup to the area. A small plastic tube with  _concealer_ printed on the side was used often, almost exclusively around her eye.

"Son of a bitch." She muttered, the small tube of concealer no longer showing anymore product. "Of fucking course." In her frustration, she flicked the tube onto the car floor while searching for something else in the bag.

Curious, Connor's head turned more directly to her. "Is everything alright?"

Isadora dropped her hands flat against the bag, her jaw jutting forward. "Yeah, yeah. Just fine." She returned to searching, finding a small round container with  _mineral powder_ written on the top lid. She unscrewed it, removed a brush, and began to use the powder on her face.

Now, he knew she was not telling the truth. Her tone was sarcastic, short tempered. She was not in a good mood and having some struggles with the make up bag in her lap. He knew what makeup was, of course. There were plenty of sites explaining it and he did not realize there was so much difficulty in something considered vanity product. He continued to watch her, finding her spending a lot of time trying to cover the spot on her face.

"May I ask what is wrong?" He tried to insist, seeing it was obvious Isadora was bothered.

"You just did." She quipped.

Sensing the negative tone, Connor backed off. He sat back in his chair and kept his eyes to himself. Isadora bit her lip and turned to Connor, dropping the supplies back into the travel bag. She thought of Meine, how he would look at her the moment she said that. Meine would have taken the bag from her and give her an expectant look. He often treated her as if she was a little sister, needing to be disciplined when she acted out.

She knew he was right though.  _He's always right_. Isadora closed her eyes for a moment, still feeling empathy for his disappointment regarding Jericho.

"Connor, I didn't mean that." She explained, though it did not excuse her shortness with him she did not want him to feel he was responsible. Connor looked at her, signaling he was listening. "I am tired, I did not get a good rest last night, and now I'm out of the only thing that works for my face... Ugh, but Theodosia tells me something happened with the department? I'm just not a morning person."

He tilted his head down slightly, "I understand. Many humans find early morning activities difficult." She was momentarily sad to hear CyberLife script. Out of everyone she wanted to talk to, she wanted someone human. Underneath all that programming he was there, Connor as an individual. She wished that Connor was here.

Isadora nodded dejectedly. "Remember what I said last night. If I snap at you please, make me aware of that behavior. I will correct it." She offered him a trying smile, "I do not want to abuse you, Connor."

Many thoughts washed through Connor's mind. His LED turned to a smooth yellow, but did not flicker. He saw the HK400 that murdered Carlos Ortiz, the bloodied blouse with thirium stains. CyberLife scripts appeared to him and he collected all this date into one conclusion. "Thank you, Isadora. Though we have seen multiple deviants cause harm to their human owners, I will not do the same. You have nothing to worry about."

She froze a moment.  _Does he think I'm trying to be nice... so he won't kill me?_ Her eyes went wide. "Ah, no, Connor. I was just trying to express respect. We work together, CyberLife entrusted me with your well being. You do not deserve abuse, especially since you have done such good work. I value your company, Connor."

His LED flickered blue, he was thinking but not conflicted. He had a small smile on his face, something she hoped was genuine. "I value your company too, Isadora. I appreciate your hospitality. CyberLife documents legalize your ownership of me and my progress as a prototype. Do you have any suggestions for me to improve on our investigations?"

It was still so dull, so well written by CyberLife. "You have performed excellently, so far I have been impressed with your progress and your efficiency."

Connor's head raised, it was a human emotion she was seeing there. That was unabashed pride. "Thank you, I'm pleased to have impressed you."

Isadora kept her smug grin to herself, seeing how praise always made it far with androids. Letting him bask in that, she returned to her struggle of covering up the discoloration in her face. Without the proper items she would no longer be able to cover the large markings around her eye. For now it would just remain. Disappointed, she ran her fingertips over the discolored area, her brows raised in a sad expression.

"You never told me what is wrong." Connor poked. She turned her head to him, surprised he would be so brave. He was insisting on an issue, one he knew upset her and, even though it was redirected, he returned to the original point.

Not really amazing since androids were able to carry multiple conversations for some time now, but his determination and understanding of the context was impressive on its own. Isadora nodded, "My eye, the vitiligo on my face, it is visible. I do not like it being visible if I can avoid it. Unfortunately, I'm out of the product I have that can cover it so I was frustrated."

Connor, rather glad he got an answer, was also confused. "Make up is used for formal functions, to impress another, or for personal gratification." Another railed off statement duller than the last. "Why do you use it to cover the vitiligo?"

She felt her face heat up. A sting of embarrassment and her defensiveness kicked in. Her nose crinkled, her fingers tapping the palm of her hand. "I- Well, it's complicated. There's a lot of people that do not like it, some people find it unsightly. I try not to make people uncomfortable or attract unwanted attention, so I cover it with products capable of making me look, ah- making me look normal."

"I see." His response was expected, he acted inside his parameters. He did return with another CyberLife positive note though. "I think it should be perfectly acceptable for you to go without covering. It is not a contagious skin condition and has no negative medical side effects."

Isadora gave him a lame slow blink. "Uh... thanks, but it's not that simple. "

He made no further attempt to break into a sensitive topic. It already appeared as though he would not be making any headway. Connor kept this in his mind, remembering to later down the road approach the topic again. For now, he dropped the discussion and let her finish her face.

Glancing between the mirror and Connor, she said nothing and took out removal wipes and cleared her face. Removing all the cover up she had done so far she was left with bare skin, the pale splotch over her left eye, some barely visible around her neck, mostly hidden by the CyberLife uniform's high neck. While she would give up covering her vitiligo, she did not want to stand out too much. Taking the noir mascara she covered the stark white eyelashes and touched up her brow, making her appearance a bit more even.

Vitiligo removed pigmentation of anything in the area that had coloration. Hair was one of those. Part of her left eyebrow was pure white, the lashes pure white too. There would be streak, but she continually dyed the section whenever the roots began to show or the color faded. Taking a deep sigh she recalled Gavin's comment to her the day before.

He saw her remove the makeup and knew she had listened, even if she said nothing. His social programming kicked in and Connor felt... pleased. "I like it." He offered that short sentiment.

Isadora looked at him, her fingers still resting on her face. Even though she had worn no coverage yesterday did not mean she liked it. It felt like she was naked and walking around in public. She was uncomfortable and nervous. Hearing Connor's soft tone, Isadora's lips curled to a gentle lopsided grin. "Thanks. I'm glad someone does."

Hoping to get off this odd subject, she redirected her attentions to the emergency they were called in on. Granted, she already knew exactly the purpose they were called for she could not reveal she knew that. A dead giveaway. It was time to show off her acting skills. "Why are we being called in? Theodosia said something happened last night at the DPD. Do you have any information to tell me or do they not know yet?"

Connor switched from the human social software back to the report he had been issued. "At approximately 12 am last night the Detroit Police prepared the HK400 that murdered Carlos Ortiz for transport to CyberLife's disposal facility. The transport left the station at 1 am." He read excerpts from the file he could see in his vision. Isadora kept straight faced. "Shortly after the transport left the DPD received an alert from the officers escorting the HK400, reporting that an individual had attacked the vehicle."

"Attacked a transport? How slow was it moving?" Isadora tapped her nail on the armrest, ready to rattle off nonsense questions she already knew the answer to.

"The transport was heading towards the CyberLife facility on a junction highway. The assailant hijacked the vehicle, knocked the officers unconscious, and stole the transport taking it off the highway heading to downtown Detroit before officers could arrive." He was looking at the prisoner transport's security footage, seeing a mysterious person wipe out the cops inside and take over without ever directly engaging them.

She peered at Connor's expression.  _He's just checking for clues right now. Nothing he can get from looking at the camera._  Completely unconcerned, Isadora stared out her window while they rode together. "So the cops are alive? No one was hurt?"

"The officers were unconscious when backup arrived. EMT's assessed both of the officers and found no serious injuries to either officer. So no, no one was hurt." Isadora grinned, she knew they would get out with nothing more than a sore spot and a period of black out.

"Do they have an idea of who did it? Or any leads so far?"

Connor looked over the footage before returning to the filed reports. "The assailant wore an outfit covering their entire body, mask, and the reports say there was nothing left at the scene. The Lieutenant is already on his way and should arrive before us."

"Hank actually answered the DPD?"  _That's the most surprising thing I've heard in the last month._ She snickered, imagining Hank grumbling to himself.

"No. He answered my call." Connor looked at her, "I called him fifteen separate times. On the sixteenth he answered." Isadora laughed unrestrained, finding Connor's harassment of Hank hilarious. She could not wait to see the look on his face when they got to the station. Not understanding what made her laugh, he simply went along with it and forced a smile.

* * *

By the time they arrived, Isadora was thoroughly entertained by Connor's confusion. He had not the faintest clue as to what was going on. She made a collection of jokes at the Lieutenant's expense. None of them particularly insulting, just having a giggle thinking about the older man getting tired of Connor calling him.

She stepped out of the car, straightening her jacket, a final subconscious touch to the left side of her face. She brought her hand down and rubbed her fingers together, finding no foundation there reminded her she had opted not to wear any at Connor's polite insistence.

Flashing red and blue lights broke her thoughtfulness. She and Connor approached the scene of the hijacked transport still where she had left it. It was crooked, parked in the middle of the lot directly in front of the old train station. The driver side door was damaged, the device she had used still hanging from the door completely blown. The back doors wide open and the prisoner long gone.

 _Such a good, clean job._ She admired her handiwork, proud of the effectiveness of her attack. This was a unique moment, she had never before returned to the aftermath of her attacks. Seeing it now she was bathing in pride. It was perfectly executed and she got away.  _Well, maybe_. She pursed her lips. This investigation would tell her she truly got out with no suspicions.

Her eye caught sight of the transport's camera. The only part of this operation that could compromise her was the camera. Before attacking the transport she made extra certain her body was entirely covered. Not that it was a concern for her, the gear was always covering every inch of her body, but she did like to be certain.

In a moment of confidence, she crossed her arms, smirked at the camera and winked.

"There you two are." Hank interrupted her gloating. He sauntered up, followed by the faint smell of the black label. "What the hell happened here? These cops were bringing that android to CyberLife... then this shit."

"We don't know who the person was." Another detective approached them, holding the file in his hands. It was the same man who was at Carlos' home when Connor found the deviant. "They showed up out of no where, jumped the truck, and took over. Whole thing was over in two minutes. Whoever this person was, they were ready. By the time the boys knew what was going on they got knocked out. Came to after paramedics arrived, didn't need to do anything the cops were fine."

"That's what Connor told me. No injuries, nothing. So this person managed to attack a moving vehicle, got the door open, incapacitated the officers, broke the android out and left? Why?" Isadora was sure she would sell herself. Not that they would ever get the idea it was her, but she did take immense satisfaction out of watching them try to break down what she did.

 _I've never been this involved before_. She controlled herself and her excitement.  _It's like fantasy; watching them study my work._ She was greatly attached to her combat abilities. Many individuals seeing the capability for violence a negative trait, Isadora saw it as an art form. Looking at the police taking pictures of the scene... it was hard not to be completely intoxicated.

"No idea." The man was entirely uninterested. "They stole an android then hightailed it to the train, don't know where they went. Trail's cold, but we've been waiting for Hank to get here since this is his case."

"Yeah, yeah." Hank grunted. Sinking his hands into his pockets, he nodded to Connor. "Go on, you can have a look around. Don't screw up the scene... Not that it matters. The guy who did this left nothing behind as far as forensics go. Only that damn recording of them getting away with it."

Connor took the offer immediately and started scanning the area. Not wanting to miss a moment of this investigation, Isadora was sure keep an ear to the conversations involving her.  _I don't think I've ever had this much fun._ Keeping herself outwardly calm, Isadora looked around the crime scene. Cops scoured the area, taking pictures, samples, and trying to put together the device on the door.

That was Connor's first focus it seemed. He spotted it from afar; wanting to know what it was he leaned over to take a closer look. He would not find any information on the device as she had filed off all information a long time ago. The serial number, designer, any identifying markers were ripped off, filed with rough metal. He could gather nothing but the device's purpose.

Hank, convinced there was nothing to gain here, just shook his head. "We already tried to find information on that damn thing. The attacker used it to bust the door open. From what we know of similar stuff like it, once it's used it burns itself inside and out just from the fire or whatever it uses."

"It's electronic." Connor stood up straight, "There are no markings on it because they have been intentionally removed. It is a small device that relies on the metal of its hook to be stronger than its target. Once it pierced the metal, the assailant attached that disc to it." He turned around to see the moderately sized disc device laying on the ground, one officer overlooking it now.

"So it does what, blows the door open?" The Lieutenant did not want to admit the android was useful, but he did provide more information faster than the average detective.

"Not quite. It uses a powerful electric current to short the door's internal mechanism. In order to do so the device shorts itself out; it can only be used once. Which is why the assailant did not bother to retrieve it. Without model or manufacturer details, there is no way to accurately track the purchase. I'm willing to bet this is a commonplace product." Mostly he was voicing the information he was processing, letting Hank know what was going on.

Nodding, though technology often confused Hank, he agreed with Connor. "So he gets the door open. Camera shows that he didn't even face the cops, just fired wildly."

The android looked inside, seeing damage on the seats. "The officers were armed... if the assailant did not have a lethal weapon, it would not be smart to face them head on. They stunned the officers using a shock bullet from a handgun that can fire live ammunition. So why didn't they use live rounds?"

"Maybe they didn't want to kill anyone? The attacker stole the android, right? What purpose would it serve to kill the cops driving?" Isadora directed the investigation, a little help would not harm anyone. Though their information was good, they were miles from ever knowing she had anything to do with it. That and she still needed to appear as though she was a part of the team investigating.

"For an android?" Hank echoed, "Why go through all this for an android? All it did was murder a man, it didn't have anything on it."

Connor's brow furrowed, "I don't know."

Hank adjusted his heavy jacket, moving towards the back of the truck. "Nothing used back here, just scanned the knocked out cop's fingerprints and unlocked the door. The android's cuffs are inside. Nothing else to look at other than the security recording... Whoever this was, they had this planned out. In and out, nothing left behind but that weird device hanging off the door."

Scanning around the area, Connor was searching for anything at all that could help their investigation. Isadora leaned against the side of the truck, totally captivated at so many people trying to figure her out.

Looking down to her uniform and back up to the crime scene investigation, she smiled.  _Look at them scrambling for anything. There's nothing out there guys, we went into the train station not the parking lot._ Cops were scouring the area for any signs, anything that could serve as a clue. They were desperate and this investigation would go no where. Early morning she had forgotten about Connor staying with them, forgotten about the events of the night before. She wanted to be here as soon as possible and she had been excessively nervous.

Upon arriving and seeing how little they actually had, she felt a cool wave wash over her. One that allowed her to bask in their struggle to catch her.

It fed her ego.

Connor stepped into the vehicle, reaching inside the cab. Isadora watched, he seemed to be interested in something. When he came back out he was holding a small black object between his fingers. Expressing silent interest she stood near him.

"Rigor labs EMP." His eyes squinted. "It was used, burned out. On the footage there was a moment where the truck's recording blacked out. If the assailant used this EMP device it would explain the thirty seconds that was lost."

"Can you track it?" Her heartbeat skipped. She knew he could not do so effectively, still there was that fear.

"Rigor labs sells multiple handheld EMP models. This specific model has five hundred thousand recorded sales last fiscal year as part of a larger set. Tracking this individual one would not be possible. The capsule is too small for additional print, the serial codes listed on their site state the serial codes are listed on the set, not the parts." He set the device down onto the chair, leaving it behind. "We will not be able to use it unless we can find the set it came with."

Faking her disappointment, Isadora gestured to the scene around them. "We have nothing at all? All of this, the attack, hijacking, and stealing an android set for destruction... we have no information at all."

"Not entirely." Connor curbed her complaint, even if it was false. Her joy at nothing being left behind was cut short by his statement.

"What do you mean?" Her voice betraying her. To suggest she failed, to imply that she slipped up was insulting.

Ignoring the annoyance in her tone, Connor lead her to the back of the truck where Hank was. Looking inside, Connor explained himself. "We know the assailant came for the android and we also know the android was nothing more than a housekeeper model, an old one at that." Turning to Hank, he pointed to the file in his hand. "Hank, can you replay the security footage from the transport?"

"Yeah, give me a minute." Hank pulled through the report, bringing up the recording. "This is right before the attacker showed up."

"This is on the same street as the DPD." Connor started his explanation. The trio leered over the file recording, faint audio coming through. There were three camera positions, in front of the vehicle, inside the cab, and behind the vehicle.

Hank, unimpressed, shrugged. "We know where the attack happened."

Connor held a hand up, watching the recording closely. "Right there." He tapped the screen, pausing it.

"It's just a blur." Isadora kept an eye on Connor's expression.

"Yes, that's the assailant. The recording shows a blur before a clear shot of the assailant's mask. The truck swerves into the right hand lane to avoid it." He moved the video frame by frame, bringing their attention to how the the figure appears in front of the vehicle. "They dropped down directly into the path of the transport. To do so they must have dropped from ahead and above."

"There's no way." Hank dismissed, "Unless they jumped from a fire escape or from out of a window... Why the hell would they jump into the path of a moving truck and walk away?"

"I don't know." Connor admitted reluctantly. He switched to the cab camera, "We can see the assailant never engaged the officers." The audio caught the officer demanding the assailant stop, threatening to shoot. After a few seconds, the camera cut out.

Hank blinked, his eyes traveling from the file to Connor who waiting anxiously until the camera came back. It showed the assailant was now in the driver seat switched the vehicle to manual and drove it off the highway, the other officer out cold. "That was fast." Hank commented.

"Efficient." Isadora added.

"Incredibly." Connor agreed oblivious to Isadora's eyes lighting up when she heard that. "The assailant had the vehicle under control within one minute and forty seconds. They showed up, knocked out the cops, and took the vehicle off the highway. They drove here and went to the HK400 in the back." Connor switched to the back camera, viewing the individual as they rushed to the back dragging an unconscious cop with them.

Hank eyed the person's clothes. "The hell are they wearing?"

Connor paused the recording again. "I don't know, I cannot find any information about clothing that looks similar to it. Whatever it is, it has been crafted privately."

"So this person drops from the sky, jumps a moving truck, takes out two cops, and is wearing some kind of get up they made just to do this?" Hank's voice raised an octave. "I mean, what the fuck are we dealing with here? This person is either a psychopath or fucking batman... jesus, probably both."

"Here." Connor played the recording of the individual opening the doors.

_"You... you're freeing me?... They're going to find me again, I have no where to go."_

_"Come with me."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Do you want to live?"_

_"Y-yes."_

_"Take my hand and come with me."_

"They used something to disguise their voice." Hank looked to Connor, "You have a way to uh, figure it out? Y'know, decode it or whatever." Technology did not agree with Hank well. Isadora knew Connor could not, the device was not a generic one bought from some cheap store that sold novelties. It was developed by CyberLife to remove the risk of their androids working against them.

"I..." Connor blinked, his LED spinning yellow as he attempted to. "I need more time. I can't seem to get through the corruption." His LED faded back to the smooth blue.

"So they didn't know each other, what else can we learn from this little interaction?" Isadora pressed for more information.

Pointing back to the individual, Connor looked to the clothing again. "The assailant's clothing... It's nothing that I've seen before and I cannot find anything about it. It does not look entirely handcrafted either, you can see there is armor plates barely visible under the loose material shielding the assailant. At least some part of their selected clothing is armor and it would have had to been constructed."

"Okay, and?" Hank was getting testy. The more they looked at the video the more they realized they had nothing.

Looking up from the file, Connor scanned around the immediate area behind the transport. Highlighting the drag marks of officer, the footprints of the HK400, he could not see a clear third track.

He stepped closer to the transport, eyes narrowing as he critically assessed the area. Drag marks, HK400's shoes, and... nothing else. He searched and searched, again, nothing appeared. It was two people, he knew for a fact that the assailant was here, so where were their tracks? The video recording clearly displayed the assailant standing at the back of the truck, stepping into it, and stepping out.

Connor took the file from Hank's hands and inspected it closely. "The shoes..." He pointed out, "They don't leave traditional tracks."

"What?" Hank inquired, immediately met with Connor showing him the recording.

"Look, the assailant wore large boots. Another part of the attire I have been unable to find information on, but the feet of the boots are angled. They do not leave footprints." He pointed to the bulky and hard to make out shoes. Isadora watched him piece this together bit by bit. Shoes would not be enough to give her away, though it would interest the department.

"Huh."

Connor scanned again, this time not scanning for footprints but any pattern on the ground at all. A few marks appeared all across the area, but one stuck out. Small divots that dug into the asphalt. "Here, these markings... they follow the same path as the HK400's footprints and come from the driver side to the back then into the train station. They have to belong to the assailant."

"Those are just dots in the ground, no one can walk like that." Hank, again, doubted the reality of Connor's investigation. He was not doing so to judge the android, he did it because there was no reason to believe any of this was rational.

Though he agreed, Connor had another theory. "What if... the assailant targeted this transport because it was carrying an android. What if the assailant is a deviant?"

"An organized, armed deviant android?" Hank crossed his arms, "You're just trying to fuck with me at this point, huh."

Isadora saw the opportunity and seized it. "What is more reasonable; a human attacking a DPD prisoner transport to free an android, or an android doing so?" Anything she could take to push suspicion off her trail. Connor already had figured out everything that could be taken from the scene. No other evidence was possible to squeeze from the short time she fought the cops, took the transport, and hopped the train.

"Alright, fine. An android jumped the transport. We have no idea what kind of android it is, where it went, or have any leads to find it. So what do we do?"

"I don't know." Connor hit a dead end, "I can look around the area, but we already know this train station is old and has no security cameras recording inside the station or the train cars. They could have left at any stop, checking them all could take weeks."

"Weeks? More like months. That old train goes out to the metro area, it has something like fifty stops." Hank growled, upset by the lack of progress. Understandable, Isadora would be sharing that hostility had she not been the target here.

"The train has forty one major stops. Without cameras there is no sure way of telling how long they were on the train or if they even disembarked during a stop." He put more theories forward. "If this assailant is an android and can survive jumping from a roof or window one or two stories above the transport and maintain control of the situation; it's not unrealistic to think they could also escape the train between stops."

Defeated, Hank threw his arms to the side. "Alright, so what do we do? There's no evidence, to way to know where to look."

It was not easy to face the music, but Connor did so gracefully. "We cannot locate the assailant without more information. I suggest alerting patrolling officers to keep their eyes open for this clothing. Issue an APB for the assailant and the HK400 to keep pressure up."

"Done. Now let's get the hell out of here, it's too damn early to deal with this shit." Hank passed them both, Isadora chuckling as she followed Hank.

"If we can't make progress here, I assume we're going to back to the DPD?" Isadora prodded, only to earn an approving grunt from Hank as he walked away. She smiled, glad everything had worked out well.

Connor glanced to the scene again, hoping for any signs. Without any new evidence this case would have to sit until later. He hurried to join Isadora and Hank already back to their respective vehicles. Something did not sit right with Connor, he did not like this feeling of not knowing, not being able to discover more. He felt unfinished. This would not be the last time he looked into this case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot to say here. Just this chapter was semi-filler. There IS progress being made here, but it's largely just directing Connor towards an end and the beginning of Isadora's meddling in DPD affairs.


	11. Above the Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CyberLife accepts the incident report by their RK800 and calls for an emergency meeting. Isadora leaves Connor in Hank's care while she handles the CyberLife directors... on the way thinking about the physicality of a certain android.
> 
> At the meeting she is assigned a couple of tasks, one more pressing than the other. She takes information and begins to worry about the future.

At the DPD, Isadora sat with the Lieutenant and Connor as the android methodically looked over the case file for her transport attack and Hank... She smiled, Hank was quite happily kicked back, eating a donut, and reading some news floating around the media.

She did not have her own desk, but something told her it would not matter at this point. Connor submitted a report to CyberLife so she had her phone in her hands, watching it and waiting. There was no way CyberLife higher ups were not losing their minds right this second, scrambling to launch the emergency. Since they knew by now it was one of their hunters they were likely trying to decide who to bring in.

Despite the risk, she would be brought in as the director of the division. She would be under the least suspicion, they would target the teams first before ever considering her role. She had such a stellar record she would always be the lowest on the list.

Sure enough, barely a minute into thinking about what her bosses were doing, he phone lit up. On the screen displayed  _private number_. The ringing caught the two detectives attention and she offered an apologetic smile. She accepted the call, but said no greeting.

She listened close, the volume low enough for the two men near her to not understand what was being said. "Isadora, it's Rowan. We need you at CyberLife tower immediately regarding the investigation you and the RK800 are assigned to currently."

"Understood. I will be as soon as I can." She hung the phone up. There was no guesswork here, she knew exactly where he wanted her. It was time to visit the CyberLife round table once again.

Standing from her chair in front of Hank's desk, she gathered herself before moving on. "I have to go for now." Isadora collected herself, running a hand to straighten loose hair. "When the boss calls off I go." She rolled her eyes sarcastically, earning an approving nod from Hank.

Connor got up to join her since, on legal documents, she owned him. As far as he believed he was required to remain by her side no matter where that lead them.

"Where are you off to really?" Hank leaned back in his seat, setting the crumbling donut back in the box. An amusing sight to see Hank with sprinkles stuck in his beard. She gave him a smirk and flicked her eyes between his and his beard. He caught on, brushing the brightly colored confection from his face.

"CyberLife is calling an emergency meeting. After Connor placed his report on the incident last night involving the android they were expecting being stolen in transit, they are concerned how this could turn into a PR nightmare." She tapped the toe of her boot on the floor below. "Also some safety precautions undoubtedly and potential for future cases might cause some issues. They want to try and stop this before it becomes a... situation. As a Director of android and human relations I'm called in."

She saw Connor approaching her and waved her hand to stop him. "Sorry, Connor, it's all going to be about the business aspect of this, nothing involving the cops or investigation. You know how it is, all about that money." She could see Connor did not understand, she rephrased. "I mean I'm going alone, Connor. You'll stay here at the DPD to work with Hank further on this case or any others that might be of interest while I'm gone."

"If it's a meeting about the deviants, should I not be present?" He was curious, finding difficulty in this realization.

"Well, it won't really be about the deviants directly. It will be about PR control and trying to address public concern over androids going deviant. CyberLife does not want people to think they are not focused on the deviant issue. I do not know how long I will be gone..." She trailed off a moment, biting her lip before returning her gaze to Hank. "Continue your work, Connor. If I have no returned by the end of the work day than I will pick you up at Hank's home."

Hank groaned, "Jesus, what am I, his guardian now?"

Isadora grinned, "Yes, you're going to be his surrogate father for the night. Don't stay up too late and don't give him sugar, he'll might overheat." She chuckled to herself seeing Hank's frustration. She did not like Hank calling Connor by a pronoun go. "Don't worry,  _he_ isn't a handful. Connor's a good boy."

Connor's head turned to Hank and he smiled. Hank shook his head and grunted, "Get the fuck out."

"I'll be back. Have a good day, boys." Isadora gave a short and mocking bow before she left the DPD. She could just barely hear Hank muttering curses as she walked away. Connor entirely pleased by her praise though...

He was not sure why, but he did not know how to feel about being left behind. She was off to discuss matters with CyberLife leadership. He was her android, this was the first time he was without her company. It was new, not necessarily unpleasant, but not comfortable either. He never thought about it directly before this moment. He was  _her_ android, she owned him.

What did that mean while she was not with him?

Isadora headed for car, sliding in the luxury vehicle smoothly, and headed straight to CyberLife tower. It was an oddly quiet life without Connor trying to consistently make small talk. That android wanted to talk all the time. She did not know if he did that out of his own want to talk or if there was something in his programming telling him to be more vocal than the average android.

_He sure is vocal._  She grinned, thinking about all the odd conversation starters he chose. True to his android nature Connor selected any option he deemed appropriate for humans to discuss, not what two humans might come to discuss naturally during conversation. His ice breakers were awkward and often failed to crack that ice.  _He is sweet though._

That was a curious personality trait. CyberLife designers gave him a polite persona rather than a hardened detective. What their motivation was, she could only guess. To interrogate weak willed subjects? To be more approachable for witnesses or fellow officers? Connor felt so... strangely kind even when he was simply using CyberLife approved sentences.

Most androids were a typical attractive male or female design, no uniqueness between one to the next. Connor was... entirely unique. He was a prototype with no equal, he was designed to be the best android CyberLife could develop to date. Granted no android could be the best at everything, they were limited in a similar way to humans. There came a point where, to learn something new, they would either have to be designed to fulfill that purpose or lose profession of something else.

Connor had so many capabilities. His specialization as a detective was particularly eye catching.  _So is his face._ She grinned to herself, looking wistfully out the window of her car. Attractiveness was no question, but his kindness even when robotic felt good. She felt a tingling sensation just thinking about those few moments where she believed he spoke his genuine feelings.

Even if he did not know it, there were sentences he spoke that were not CyberLife accepted. Seeing that rare comment got her excited. To think of Connor as a deviant, breaking free-

_He'd make a fine man._  She closed her eyes, seeing him last night out of his android suit. It felt good to sit with him even for a time and not see the outside world. He was just... there.  _He looked good relaxed, no work, no buttoning the last button._ She recalled that odd image watching him swallow.

Her eyes snapped open. She watched his throat work, she knew how it worked technically speaking, yet seeing him... Isadora twitched. Connor looked up to her making eye contact while she spoke, he swallowed hard, his breath visible as the steam from the soup blew away from his mouth as if he was breathing that steam. It took her a good minute to not visualize him looking up at her like that.

Shaking her head, she sat up straight and pushed the scene from her mind. Sitting in silence while she made her way to CyberLife tower.

The second she entered the meeting room and sat at the table she was bombarded by the other directors.

"What the hell happened last night?" One woman expressed her anger. "That is a CyberLife approved hunter and they just assaulted a DPD transport to steal an android that murdered its owner. An android being transported to disposal. Who the fuck is that?"

"Calm down, Ramirez. We're all here to figure that out." Rowan interrupted her rage. The woman was beyond pissed, she was ready to beat sense into people. Isadora gave Rowan a look that said  _this won't be easy._

She got comfortable, leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table with her hands clasped together. "Facts first." Isadora began, "We know the attack happened last night at 1 am. The transport left the DPD to head directly to disposal. Right as the transport turned to take the junction highway straight to its destination, it was attacked and subsequently hijacked by an individual wearing the CyberLife deviant hunter armaments; suggesting the attack was launched by a CyberLife hunter."

The attendees all shared collective looks of disbelief, concern, and fear.

"I was only made aware of this a few hours ago. Once I arrived on the scene with the RK800 prototype we investigated the scene with Lieutenant Anderson." Isadora detailed the rather uneventful scene.

"What did you come away with? Was the RK800 able to discern the hunter responsible?" A voice called, head of the development teams. He was one of the major heads of the android factory that designed the RK800 model.

"Since CyberLife gear is designed to work against human and androids, the RK800 named Connor was unable to uncover any additional information. However, we must remember the RK800 was  _not_ given access to CyberLife's database of deviants and deviant hunters. As far as the RK800 is aware CyberLife developed its model to recover deviants to find out the error causing deviation." Isadora did not enjoy talking about Connor like an object, but it served a purpose for now. "As we know at this table the RK800 was developed to begin installing android detectives while putting a face on CyberLife's push to end deviancy."

One individual lifted their hand with a pen in it, "So what does that mean for us? Is the RK800 entirely incapable of investigating this issue for us?"

"Not entirely, it can be useful even if it never finds the assailant. The RK800 has so far been an extremely effective detective android, however, it cannot be more than that." Isadora wanted to stay on this case, if they were removed... things could get rough. "Using its features in the field will help track or otherwise narrow the search, but I will take the investigation where it cannot."

"You want to lead the charge against our rouge hunter?" Rowan asked from the far side of the table. He was not really surprised, he only wanted to progress the meeting in a solid direction.

Isadora nodded, "That is my intent. The deviant hunters are my teams and when one compromises our work, they risk everything we do. We are here to protect the interest of CyberLife and its android investments. If a hunter has somehow betrayed that trust, I want to be there to find them. I have trained each of the teams currently in the field and I know how to find them."

"How do we know you are not the assailant?" A woman's voice, Jian, the operator of android and human relative softwares.

Isadora gestured to Rowan. "If you wish it, I will remain on site until you look into me."

"Isadora is not responsible for this. She has been with the company the longest and has a track record for being effective in the field. With the most captured deviants, she's our best hunter." He agreed, though he did not ignore Jian. "Should you insist we will bring the records to the attendees to be reviewed while Isadora waits outside. However, we can simply check her Myrmidon android to find out her whereabouts last night."

Jian crossed her arms, "Where is your Myrmidon?"

"It is residing at my estate while I am assigned to the investigation with the RK800 and Lieutenant Anderson." Isadora and Meine had a long standing contingency plan. It's a simple fix, it took thirty minutes to get in place but once they were prepared no one would be the wiser. "Shall I call for it?"

"If the attendees want to wait for it." Rowan added, knowing precisely how far Isadora lived.

"How long will it take?" Another attendee inquired.

"About two hours, possibly a little longer. Isadora lives in the country side." Once Rowan stated this, a number of the meeting members grow complacent.

One shook his head, "Who here can vouch for Isadora? How long has she been one of our deviant hunters?"

"Isadora is the director of the division. She has been with the company even before hunters were introduced, she volunteered to take the task on and excelled in recovery operations. Unlike most of our other teams, Isadora had a success rate of eighty-seven percent. This is, of course, only including operations where the deviant was recovered functional, no collateral, and no public appearances." Rowan rattled off generic information he knew they could have all researched themselves before the meeting began. Most knew already.

"So is she our best bet to find out who our rogue hunter is?" Jian suggested otherwise, but kept her options open.

Another man spoke up, Julian. One of the few operation directors in the room. "I've been company to Isadora for years, she'll do fine with this. It might be a bit of a challenge, the target not being a deviant on the run. Isadora has been nothing but loyal, she's the trusted face of CyberLife at the moment, haven't you seen the news reports?"

"News reports?" Jian urged.

To humor her, Julian brought his tablet to the table. "Yes, they're already reporting on the android detective that's been running around with the famed Lieutenant Hank Anderson, the cop responsible for the Red Ice bust a few years back. Isadora has been quite prominent in all the photos journalists are snapping at crime scenes. Here she is," He brought up on particular image of Connor and Isadora standing side by side talking to Hank, just outside Carlos' home. Their first case together,  _That's fast._ Isadora was a bit surprised, but there were a lot of cameras flashing that night.

Reading from the headlines, Jian humming. "CyberLife's newest android replacing our boys in blue.  _Hmpf,_ we've had androids serving the DPD for years. Now that androids are getting attention from all those anti-technology people on the street they're more than happy to report on it."

"The point is that Isadora is our representative. If she was not entirely trusted by our officials, do you really think we'd let her go out on her own with our prototype for fun?" Julian interrupted Jian's complaints. "We all went through the testing, Jian. Where are you trying to go with this?"

"I am trying to put forth the notion that Isadora is this rogue hunter." The moment she said it, Rowan gave her a pointed look.

"You can have her tested again, I don't care about the internal squabbling. I want this hunter found and shut down. Immediately." Rowan but a halt to the discussion. "Everyone in favor of retesting Isadora Saxon to clear her for field duty, raise your hand."

A few directors and operators raised their hands. Rowan counted them out. "Opposed?" The rest of the room raised their hands, an overwhelming number of individuals Isadora has spent years building a repertoire with. She smirked. "I think that settles it pretty clearly. Opposed wins, Isadora returns to active duty effective immediately. Isadora, any questions?"

"Should I still be accompanying the RK800 and Lieutenant Anderson?" She did wonder how to fit in two separate workloads.

Rowan looked down, contemplating. "If a case comes to the attention of CyberLife as urgent, we will ask you to stick with the RK800 and see what can be found. Since the RK800 cannot identify a hunter's tracks, we will rely on you. When you are not on an investigation you will be looking for the rogue hunter on your own, your Myrmidon can join you but if you cannot traverse the city than leave it behind. You know better than most an android won't be a threat to a hunter - don't get it destroyed. Myrmidon's aren't cheap."

"Understood. Shall I rejoin the investigation or do you prefer I start my work now?" Isadora was entirely unconcerned with Jian's accusations. She knew the older woman had no control over her and there was nothing she could do about it. Jian was included in this meeting just barely by status, she was recent promotion that made the ranks by cutting her competitors short. It was no secret, but brutality was the only way to make it so far.

"Can any progress be made on the investigation today?" Ramirez spoke up, one of the few attendees that engaged the meeting.

"There was little left behind at the scene where the DPD located the transport. Old train station, no cameras. Only view of the hunter we have is the transport's cab cam. Nothing to go on there other than this is someone in hunter gear. The DPD are theorizing that the assailant was an android." Isadora wanted to laugh at their shock reactions. The various people of different rank in CyberLife's headquarters all voicing their outrage. "While it does seem far fetched, we have to acknowledge every possibility. I'll start by inspecting local teams before moving out to others active across the US. Narrowing down the possible hunters responsible is the best first step we can take."

"Then get to it. Recall hunters in the immediate area." Rowan gave her permission and Isadora nodded.

"Anything else on the agenda?" Jian, displeased, cocked her head to Rowan.

"There is a final project we need to address." Rowan was considering something in his head, Isadora's eyes narrowed reflexively. "The RK800 won't be able to chase down a rogue hunter. It isn't programmed with CyberLife's confidential files since it is just a prototype. Our experts are down in the labs working on the next RK model, the RK900 naturally. Isadora, report any shortcomings you find on the RK800 model to them. If you have any ideas or suggestions to improve upon the RK800 make it known. We'll be attaching you as a deviant expert and RK900 concept researcher."

"I do not often do work on the most advanced models." Isadora did not like the sound of the RK900. "Why assign me to this one?"

Ramirez nodded with Rowan, "I agree with Director Rowan. You are the only CyberLife employee in direct contact with the RK800 prototype in the field. Your input would be invaluable while we are working on the RK900. We need help to try and cull the chance of deviation while we make improvements on the model. We absolutely cannot have an incident of law enforcement androids deviating. If you are willing, I would be thrilled to hear firsthand how the RK800 is performing."

Before Isadora could raise her protests against being put on a team to replace the RK800, Rowan ended the debate. "We keep this quiet." Rowan stood from the table, hands resting in front of him. "No comment. Repeat it anytime we're asked. If we are in a situation where we must answer; CyberLife has acknowledged the attack on the DPD for a defective android. No further comments. We cannot allow this to blow up - it can cripple production in Detroit."

"Let's hope you can end this before we're backed into a corner, Isadora." Jian spat.

Against the hate she got from the woman, Isadora smiled politely and stood from her seat. "I will be excited to bring this hunter to our doorstep and get this mess behind us."

* * *

Isadora sat behind her desk, overlooking file after file. She had forgotten how boring it was to scan hundreds of files for potential incidents. Right now she was looking over hunter's identifiers.

Files kept on the hunters were heavily protected. Key cards, locks, the whole lot. She what was listed in here was largely illegal. Mountains of reports detailing their hunters fraternizing with criminals, breaking into private property, assaults, various attacks on both civilians and law enforcement alike. Deviants that have killed, assaulted, or otherwise broken the law being detained or destroyed by the hunters to hide the android's actions from local law.

She remembered the days when she loved this. She loved solving these problems in reality, as if they were mysteries in a novel. Jumping into the field, her gear prepared, and Meine at her side. Launching head first into whatever came their way, it was bracing, got her blood pumping in all the right ways. Isadora fantasized of her early days as a hunter, when they just rolled out the first prototype for her gear.

Naturally, as one of the best hunters at the time Isadora was given one copy of the armor to test along with her four teammates. Other humans that lead the teams, the Myrmidons still joining them as glorified assistants at the time since the armor would negate the need for the soldiers. Since they were still platforms for features humans could not utilize, they did keep the Myrmidons on staff to raise effectiveness for the teams.

Isadora scrolled through another group of hunters in and around Detroit. Some having the original Myrmidon, others on their second, third, even fourth model. She had no idea how so many Myrmidon's were being destroyed. She assumed it had more to do with the human operator rather than the deviants on the run.

Meine was her first Myrmidon and she was thankful he put up with her as long as he did. Though he would insist that she not worry about it anymore, she would think about in when alone left to her thoughts. The abuse that android suffered and stuck through, at the end of it all when he broke free... deviancy and Isadora did not get along.

Days passed before things began to iron out.

New iterations of the deviant hunter armor were released, making any average human capable of meeting soldier androids in battle. The skilled hunters rose through the ranks, new hunters were trained, Isadora rose and others fell behind. The satisfaction she took out of hunting drove her to push harder every time. Meine struggled to keep up, hunters fell behind again, yet Isadora forced herself to the top.

Within a few years, Isadora stood as the promoted director of the hunters. CyberLife would have lost their minds had they discovered the Myrmidon they had assigned to her was the reason deviants began to slip through the cracks. When Isadora found out the fight lasted days, spanned across three cities, until finally Isadora stood facing the destruction of her Myrmidon or the reality of the damage she caused.

She chose Meine and now, Meine chose her. There were upgrades, but she wanted Meine. Her eyes coasted over her own file, seeing Meine's picture below hers. She sighed, closing the file.

Isadora scanned through to the android models, finding a massive list of produced models, new and old, discontinued or in mass production. She kept rolling through the models and upgrades. Hundreds of models ran down her screen until she arrived at the RK800.

_Connor._  She opened the files, pages upon pages of information of the RK800 prototype. On the pages listed in bright red lettering 'prototype' before it rattled off the model's abilities and purpose. She was curious, certainly anyone would be, but that was not her only train of thought here. Blueprints of Connor's entire physical body, everything from how he moves a single finger to how the RK800 deconstructs investigations and how it utilizes built in criminology to assist officers.

The RK800 model was a prize jewel for CyberLife, at the moment. He was the most advanced android currently produced and, looking at the file, there was only one RK800 walking around. Connor stood entirely unique, something very few other androids had the ability to claim. Androids were mass produced, hundreds upon hundreds of one model than the next release produced thousands, increasing every time the next release was successful.

Isadora set the booklet on this prototype to print so she could take it home and study it on paper. Knowing Connor's workings might assist her further down the road. Perhaps not to turn him deviant, but to keep him operating. She can repair an android, she had the knowledge to construct androids and their biocomponents. Connor was entirely unique and having a comprehensive list of his entire system would come in handy.

The blue prints detailing his anatomy, how his skin activated and deactivated, how his analytics functioned, his thirium pump that Gavin had hit the other day, and his capability as a phys-... Isadora turned the page.  _Leave him some privacy, jesus._ She completely skipped the next section the prints started writing about. She had no desire to delve that deeply into Connor's anatomy.

She had a purpose here, not just to ruin Connor's privacy, but to see what the prototype entailed. At the last page of the document, she saw exactly what she was looking for.

_RK900 production in progress._ Isadora looked to the trial blueprints.  _RK900 (Connor) deadline on 11/38 - RK900 targeted upgrades from RK800 prototype series set to be marketed for law enforcement use only. No private models available for distribution._

There, they had begun the planning for the next Connor. Not truly a surprise, all android prototypes are immediately succeeded by the finalized model providing the prototype demonstrated the desired result or it generated enough interest to be a good business investment. All models were critically analyzed before being mass produced, ensuring the cost of production never surpassed the sale and demand.

The RK900 was identical to the RK800 during the time the blueprint was released. The actual model had not yet been produced, this was just a concept example for the android designers.

She let the printing finish, closed the file, and picked up the paper documents. While handheld displays were all the rage, paper documents still filled many office workers drawers. She stapled the file together, setting it beside her monitor.

Working through some hunter files, she tagged five individual hunters for recall. Two of them already in the building working, the other three either at their home or in the field. When they were tagged, the hunters were alerted to the operator's recall.

After a few seconds, one of the hunters called Isadora's desk. It was fast, they all knew the only reason they would get a recall order is for an emergency. In the last few years since the hunters were brought on as high rank CyberLife officials there had not been a single red recall alert sent out. When the order was made, they would come from all over.

Isadora answered the ring, she said nothing and waited for the caller to speak.

"Isadora, I have an emergency recall order. Is this accurate?" The voice of a man, Azar, the first hunter on the list and one of the hunters currently at CyberLife tower. He was high ranking hunter, known to be extremely effective in his assignments.

"Yes, unfortunately, some troubling news has come to our attention. All hunter teams within range of Detroit are being recalled, others that are unaccounted for will be recalled over the next few days." She explained, again making sure to sell her job as the operator. "CyberLife's prototype RK800 has submitted a report that identified a CyberLife deviant hunter in action attacking a Detroit transport carrying an android set for disassembly. Obviously, this is a very serious issue. If you could please come up to my office I would like to conduct a short interview with you."

"I'm not under suspicion, surely?"

"We're looking into anyone within reasonable distance that could plausibly have taken action here. I do not have any direct suspicion for you, Azar. I simply need to begin knocking names off the list so I can narrow the search." Isadora kicked back in her chair, prattling on about CyberLife procedures. Nothing even vaguely of interest for her, all generic responses. She knew how androids felt repeating whatever CyberLife deemed appropriate.

"Alright, I'll head up now." Azar did not sound pleased, but he was less annoyed with this process and more frustrated with the realization that a hunter has caused this damage. The red tape around their work would be extensive for any future incidents.

"Thank you, Azar." Isadora tapped the phone to hang up, sat back up straight, and yawned tiredly.

_I should've gotten something to drink before I started the interviews._ Isadora closed her eyes,  _I fucking hate interviews._

* * *

Five hunters cleared for active assignments and each interview sucking up two hours of the day. After losing ten hours and change she was ready to pass out. It was long, monotonous nonsense. Of course she would make no progress on the first day even if she was genuinely searching. Now that the first day was over she was glad to be walking out of CyberLife tower.

Under her arm was the document folder for the RK800 and additional information she could piece together about the concept RK900 yet to be released. While they would not be able to provide any usefulness in the foreseeable future, it would still serve a purpose one day.

Her boots clicked on the steps out of CyberLife tower, a somehow relaxing sound as the anticipation for the end of this very long day built up. Her last task for the evening was to retrieve Connor, wherever he was currently.

Stepping into her vehicle, she tapped the console to call Lieutenant Hank Anderson. He had to be out and about somewhere, she doubted he would simply go home and  _not_ eat or get hammered. It would be entirely out of character for him to rest after a long day of work.  _Y'know, like normal people._ Isadora waited as it rang and rang and rang.

"Pick up, you damn-"

_Cilck_ , "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Hank! This is Isadora. I am leaving CyberLife tower now, where can I pick up Connor?" She asked politely, snapping a wide smile on her face. Hearing Hank groan, some shuffling and loud noises in the background, she looked at the console in confusion. "Hank? Where are you at right now?"

A bit more confusing noises before she could hear Hank talking away from his phone. "We're apparently at my house."

"Got it, I have your address listed on your file. I'll be there in a moment." Isadora hung up, noting that Hank said  _apparently_. It was most likely he was drunk now or got drunk earlier, then Connor dragged the man back home to let him rest without getting in trouble for being drunk and disorderly in public. A mark on the officer's already impressive reprimands.

As Isadora rode towards Hank's home, she held the booklet of the RK800 in her hands almost nervously.  _RK800 ANATOMY, FUNCTIONALITY, APPLICATION, AND DESIGN._ Not a complicated thing, all models had some collective books. It was after the cover page that bothered her.  _RK900 TRIAL RUNS, UPGRADE REPORTS, SALES/LEGAL DOCKETS._ A less comforting title written boldly with the RK800.

It was there because the RK800 was never meant to be a produced model. He was a forced model designed in to put a CyberLife approved face on the fight against deviancy. She had no idea how Connor would respond to being told he was never meant to...  _Never meant to live long._ She bit her lip hard. The RK800 would only be active between the beginning of its trial period to when the RK900 was completed.

And there was not much time.

RK900 would be finished in November...  _This month._  She laid the booklet down in her lap.  _Connor doesn't have long at all. If the RK900 rolls out this month, they'll deactivate him in favor of the better model... They're going to kill him._  Remaining straight faced, she knew she needed to talk to Meine about it soon

She placed the booklet under her seat, she did not need to think about it now. It put pressure on her to convince Connor to go deviant, even if she had to force it. If he accepted whatever CyberLife ordered than the target date was this month to have him shut down permanently. Should he fight deviancy, Isadora steeled herself, she could force it out of him in other ways.

Not the best or most healthy way, but it worked for Meine, it worked for Theodosia and Mia with their previous owners. Connor was likely no different.

This was a conversation she needed to have with the androids back home. Right now, she needed to find Connor and return to the hotel. Tires came to a soft stop in front of the one level home. Isadora figured this was the house of a drunk detective. Exiting the car, she dodged a few muddy puddles on the ground and approached the front door. The yard was soaked from the rains of the last few days, the house not in terrible shape... not great shape either.

Isadora rang the doorbell, keeping her arms against her sides trying not to get more stains on her uniform.

Once the door opened she was greeted by the soft light of a blue LED, the straight edge suit with markings, and the friendly face she had been hoping to see. Connor had answered the door with a very non-responsive Hank passed out on the living room couch behind him.

"Isadora, Hank said you were on your way." He stepped aside allowing her to enter the home. She took a swift step in, finding herself rather close to the android due to the small doorway. Scooting back awkwardly, she glanced around the home, neither one entirely certain how to proceed. She knew her appearance was fine, but her mannerisms were consistent with someone experiencing anxiety. This was true, Connor did not mention it, but it was all she felt right now.

"Ah, I'm-" She looked at Hank, head back over the edge of the backrest of his couch. "I'm here to pick you up. How has he been?" Her eyes rested on the android.

"He likes to drink, I believe he drinks when he needs to think about things that bother him. After you left Hank and I worked on the investigation until we received a call about a possible deviant operating by a local grocery store. Once we were able to locate the android we found it to be nothing more than a malfunctioning android that had been severely damaged by a vehicle outside its owner's home. Nothing else to report." Connor detailed his day with Hank. Isadora was going to push him to talk about his day a little more personally... Then he voluntarily did so without her urging.

"After we made no progress on the transport hijacking, Hank wanted to go to a bar. He drank until the bartender told him he needed to go. I took him home after that - we have not been here long before your call." He remained beside the now closed front door. Isadora searched the room to see how... worn in everything was. This was not the home of a happy man. "I don't think we should leave him alone."

Isadora nodded, "So what do you want to do?" She did not question what he meant, she gave him no chance to rethink his statement.

For moment, Connor struggled. This was out of his programming parameters and some part of him knew that, even if he was trying to work around it. "We should stay." The strain in his tone told her that was hard enough to say. "We can either sober him up or let him rest while keeping an eye on him. There's a risk of asphyxiating or alcohol poisoning judging by the number of drinks he had tonight."

"Alright, so we'll stick around." Isadora was not thrilled with the idea, but Hank was good people even if he was rough around the edges. That and she did need to work with the Lieutenant, him being in the hospital and placed on leave might mean she was stuck with another officer less open to interpretation like Hank is. Instead of leaving Hank to fend for himself, she planned to stay with Connor. "Tell me what to do." She purposefully left the comment open ended.

Connor's head turned to her, meeting her eyes dead on. His LED flashed yellow for a while, registering her statement. It was a command to command, not something that androids were not prepared to handle... But as Isadora had already pressed, Connor was extremely intelligent as CyberLife's advanced model. He would be able to grasp the separate points of her sentence.

She requested an order from an android as a human. An android cannot give a human an order intentionally, it is not within their programming to order a human with any expectation of that order being completed the same way a human would. He had done this once before, in the interrogation room to Detective Gavin Reed - that order would outside his programming. He was not sure what that meant, but he knew he did it nonetheless.

It was not the first time Isadora did this. She had requested his opinion, his thoughts, his wants, and his orders before. In the span of two days she had confused him more and more. She had made this a habit to ask him and it was the first time Connor truly stopped to think about what that really meant. The speed at which his processors cooked that information to make sense of it was getting him no where fast.

For now, he rewrote her request. Instead of giving her an order, he would give her instructions that she could choose to follow. That fell within his programming.

"We should move him to his room to sleep off the alcohol. Will you assist me in moving the Lieutenant to his bed?" Connor completed the process, his LED back to blue.

Isadora gestured him to take the lead, "Let's get to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to lose some time writing tomorrow since I will be making a 5 hour drive. So expect the next update a little late, sorry! :(
> 
> I want to talk about how I view chapters and how I write them for a moment if any of my readers are interested.  
> I have a process to go through that may help explain situations in the story as well as different types of chapters. If you want to hear about that I'll list it here, if not, just skip the note here and look forward to the next chapter! :)
> 
> My chapters are broken up into FIVE main categories:
> 
> Main Chapters:  
> Includes - Storyline, Major Events, and rarely character development.
> 
> Directory/Progression Chapters:  
> Includes - Moving protagonist/antagonist, lead up to other types of chapters, location importance.
> 
> Drama Chapters:  
> Includes - Character development, Main Character Battles, Character Death, Lone Chapters (where the main character is alone), and chapters with High Risk to characters.
> 
> Historic Chapters:  
> Includes - Flashbacks, Critical moments in character(s) past, Critical moments in universe's history, chapters focusing on experiences even if character(s) are discussing history.
> 
> War Chapters:  
> Including - Severe Arguments (can include physical violence or not), leadership 'complications', chapters including literal and figurative battles/wars.
> 
> Now all these chapter types CAN be mixed and I'm doing something a little different with this story "AlonAI Law" because I am writing every chapter as a meld of one to three of these types.  
> In my other stories chapters would include one 90% of the time, the rest would be mostly one type and a smaller fraction of another type.  
> This makes for VERY lengthy chapters focusing on one task at a time. However, that writing and organization style means chapters take a lot longer to produce.
> 
> So to cut on time and to try and create a more "keep the hits a'comin" story I am mixing this up a lot.
> 
> Please feel free to tell me if this is too much or you want me to focus on one target at a time instead of multiple like I am doing now.  
> I am always happy to hear any criticism of the story or how I handle organization. :)
> 
> This chapter is:
> 
> Major Focus: Directory/Progression Chapter  
> Partial focus: Main Chapter  
> Minor focus: Drama Chapter


	12. Waking up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing a groggy morning breakfast with Hank and Connor, Isadora tells them her work at CyberLife calls and she will be less and less available for investigations.  
> Disappointed, Isadora dons her gear with a pack of supplies meant for HK400.
> 
> Spending time with HK400 gets some attention from the other deviants of Jericho.

Hours before the sun would rise, Hank woke up.

He grunted his displeasure, a headache rising him from what would have been a deep sleep. The smell of sweat and alcohol assaulting his senses. He wanted to get up, to shower, to not smell and feel disgusting.

The depression and guilt he suffered kept him in bed more often than not. An amalgam of terrible things he sees in his head and terrible things he feels made every day hard, no day was a little better than the last. Everyday was the same. Waking up to a dark house, the black label on his nightstand taunting him. Hank groaned, pushing himself out of his bed. The second he stood up right, he stumbled, falling to sit back on the bed; its springs crying out.

Hank shook himself off and pushed again, straightening out his balance finally. As he took a step away from the bed, he looked back and wondered how he had gotten into bed. He did not remember getting in it last night, he did not remember coming home last night either. All he saw was the bar he stopped at tired of working on dead end investigations that generated unanswerable questions.

Awkward steps out of his bedroom, across the hall and into the bathroom, he leaned over the counter and saw himself in the mirror. A man with an outlook on the world as grey as his hair. Splashing water on his face, he left the bathroom to find some breakfast. Hungry at 4 am was the life of a drunk that did not want to regulate his life anymore.

He flicked off the bathroom light, more lazy steps down the hall to his living room. A blue LED caught his attention.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Hank blinked to clear his vision. There against the wall stood Connor, the RK800 detective android, completely still. "Oh, what'tha fuck?" His slurred speech not an indication of a drunken state. Tired and unable to remember why the android was in his home, Hank stood staring at him. "The fuck you doing?"

Connor's head turned to him, "We did not want to leave you alone last night. After you fell unconscious, Isadora and I decided we should remain nearby in case you needed assistance."

"Isa- what?" Hank's eyes traveled to the well worn in couch, seeing a body resting on its old cushions covered by nothing more than her own jacket. "Ah, what." He wanted to piece together, was this surprise, was this incredulous annoyance. He did not know and he certainly did not care. He saw Connor watching the house, Isadora passed out on his couch, and put the pieces together.

Scratching his head through his hair, he left the living room for the kitchen. Taking out a cereal box, the carton of milk, and a bowl he served himself early morning breakfast. Another bottle of Jack Daniel's on the counter made him hesitate pouring the cereal out, when he broke contact with the half empty bottle he swiped his breakfast from the counter protectively and sat at his table to eat.

Connor watched, looked at Isadora sleeping, and turned to Hank again. "How are you feeling, Lieutenant?"

Hank gave Connor a half assed glare. "How do you think?" He muttered over a mouthful of cereal. His sarcastic tone shutting Connor up quite quickly. At least, on that conversation. Seeing the android accept Hank's sour attitude, the Lieutenant changed his tune. "So... What happened last night?"

"You had a drink after the investigation fell through. Without eating in the last five hours you reacted to the alcohol quicker than you might be accustomed to. The bartender stopped serving you and I took you home." Connor looked back to Isadora, "You answered a call from Isadora at around 10 pm last night. She was coming here to retrieve me for the night when I suggested we remain here to ensure you were taken proper care of. Isadora was tired and fell asleep on the couch, I figured it was best to let you both sleep." He had such a kind  _awake_ voice. Hank hated that he was always so ready, seemingly so anxious to start the day every time he saw him.

He hated it because he knew he used to feel like that. Hank grunted, "Should'a just gone home, I'd be fine."

Gauging the best response, Connor went for the factual approach. His default approach that never worked. "You had drank quite a bit of whiskey last night. Concerned about your blood alcohol content, we stayed."

"Can you two shut up? It's still fuckin' dark out and I want some damn sleep." Isadora's tired voice broke their conversation. She sounded  _terrible._  Leaning up over the back of the couch, she glared to Hank. "Why are you so goddamn loud? Can't you see it's still the middle of the night?"

"Well, good morning, grumpy." Hank taunted the exhausted woman, finding particular humor in her disheveled hair, bad morning attitude, and spiteful behavior. This was an interesting side of Isadora he had yet to meet. "You look fantastic." More taunts got him this powerful sneer from the woman.

"Shut the fuck up, Hank. I'm not on the clock, I sure as shit not gonna pretend I'm even close to it." Isadora sat up, stumbling slightly from a distinct lack of sleep over the last few days. "Now what the hell are you two rambling about?" She passed Connor, rubbing her own headache.

Hank watched her stand, noting her bare feet, lack of the CyberLife uniform jacket, and messed up face streaked with black mascara. She struggled passed him, stealing the cereal from his counter. "Hey, hey! Go buy your own breakfast. You're rich right, just order some damn take out with- fuckin, gold foil on it or some shit." He barked, watching her turn her head to him, flip him off, and pour the cereal anyways.

"Gold foil breakfast delivery? What the fuck are you rambling about now, old man?" Isadora dropped her bowl ungraciously beside Hank, plopping into the chair like a child.

"How would I fuckin' know? I'm not rich, that's what the people with money coming out of their ass buys." Hank waved his hand, "Whatever, I saw that shit on TV."

Isadora chomped down, displaying a lame posture and careless look towards the Lieutenant. Connor, watching his display of exhausted human brains, found it immensely interesting and  _incredibly confusing._  He heard their tone, their language, their body language, and their attitude. It was all aggressive, not a single bit friendly, yet they sat together and acted like it was not confrontational.

Were he inclined he might believe these humans to be entirely mad.

Isadora pointed her spoon at Hank, "Don't believe all the shit you see on TV. Yeah, gold foil on ice cream or whatever, up in New York? I've seen it. I'm not gonna' blow a few hundred bucks on ice cream that tastes like chewing on my charm bracelet in high school. Shit's stupid."

Hank chuckled, "At least this shit doesn't hide it. Looks like shit, tastes like sugar. It knows what it is."

"Hell yeah." Isadora chewed another oversized bite. Their back and forth serving no purpose, Connor wondered if they were doing it intentionally to confuse him at this point.

The clink of spoons hitting their respective bowls filled the home. Connor just standing, watching. Hank just sitting, finding Connor's watching disconcerting. "For fucks sake, sit the fuck down, Connor. You're creeping me out just watching us."

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Connor stepped forward, pulling an old chair out to sit at the table. He had perfect posture, nothing to eat, and a curiousness in his eyes that made Hank go easy on the android. He was rough, but the android seemed so woefully innocent he had trouble barking at it the same way he did when Connor first appeared at the office.

"So," Hank started, leaning on one elbow to peer at Isadora suspiciously. "Where was this Isadora on those investigations at the station? What the hell happened at CyberLife tower?" It was an attempt to pry for information, a failing one, but Connor did not know any information she had was not meant to be shared. He was completely in the dark and Hank... Isadora grinned at the man, Hank had grown on her so far.

"CyberLife. Fuck." She scoffed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Where to start? With the bullshit red tape? Bureaucratic nonsense? So clearly fucking worried about how the public sees them, how this shit is gonna effect their profit margin. Like what the fuck? People are getting killed. Could at least pretend they give a damn." She subverted it somewhat, but the point remained at the end of the day their product was killing people. Worse than that, their product was developing their own sentience and they were trying to squash it down before it grew out of control.

People she did not feel very sympathetic towards like Carlos Ortiz who was a verifiable scumbag backed up by police documents.

Hank let out his impressed huff. "Under that CyberLife plastic uniform, there is a person. Always to tight lipped and perfect, started to think you were an android too."

Chuckling, Isadora nodded defeated. "Yeah, not the first time I've heard that. Don't worry, most CyberLife employees want to go home and drink like you do. We're just held to this ass backwards standard. We gotta be perfect, gotta look good. So they stuck this face out there and says  _'Hey, look at us! So progressive! So out there! Ooo, don't worry about androids killing people! Look at her, she's one of us!_ " She mocked openly. The judgement she shared of CyberLife caught Connor's attention.

"Whole thing is an act, huh?" Hank leaned back, gesturing to Isadora's entire person. "What do you do for fun that doesn't involve building androids and showing us average people up."

Isadora looked at Hank, gauging between an honest response and a deflecting one. Tired and uncaring, Isadora went honest. "Truthfully?" She pulled her brows together, staring almost angrily at her half eaten bowl of cereal. "I don't do shit. I don't have any time to myself. CyberLife demands I do whatever they want all the time. I wanted to learn how to play the violin so I bought one... That was three years ago. I haven't been on a vacation in five years. It's day in, day out. I'm fuckin' sick of CyberLife."

Hank nodded, "Fuck em. We're here, they're not. Like you said, not on the clock yet, right? So let's act like it." He gestured to Connor, "What about you, tin man? What's your take on all this?"

She raised her head to look at Connor. Hank was actively engaging the android, no sarcasm in his voice. "I think it sounds like you are both experiencing stress with your work. Proper time off, participating in a hobby, or socializing can help relieve stress. There are many side effects people report when under too much stress in their daily lives."

Isadora stared at him hopelessly. Hank with his own version of the same expression. The two humans completely uninterested in his statement, Connor started to wonder what he said wrong. It was the truth, a truth CyberLife programmed him with, and looking at them he realized something was not right. Reconsidering their question, and his answer, Connor tried again. "I think... you should tell them-"

His LED blinked yellow, pausing him mid sentence. Isadora tilted her head, "Yes, Connor?" He knew he was receiving something, but she wanted him to finish his thought. It was his own, it was not bound by CyberLife's restrictions.

She was not so lucky. "I just got a report in about an android in North Detroit attacking a restaurant owner before fleeing the area. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up to it."

Hank scowled, "Fine. Let's get this done so I can go home early today." He pushed himself from the table, slowly standing with his bowl in hand. "You riding with me or you gonna take that luxury car you're always showing off?" Hank called from the kitchen not but a few feet away from the table.

Isadora bared her teeth, "Actually, it looks like I won't be able to join you two that much anymore."

Hearing this, Connor turned to her immediately. Hank dropped his bowl in the sink, not caring to clean it yet. Coming back to the table, he started to shuffle passed. "And why's that?"

"CyberLife wants me to conduct research into deviants they have currently at the tower. We don't have many, they just want a head start as soon as they can manage it. Since I'm one of the directors on site, they want me in the building to work with the labs. I don't know shit about deviancy, so this is just going to be a waste of time." Isadora stood from the table, brooding all the way back to the couch to pick up her jacket. "Since you two have detective work to look into I should probably head to the hotel to get cleaned up before I have to show my face at CyberLife. Can't live the good life forever."

Hank, already in his room, called out. "Investigated unlucky bastards like Carlos was the good life?"

"Better than paperwork." She slipped her jacket on.

"Shall I be accompanying you?" Conner was still hung up on being  _her_ android, being without her orders was like being built an arm without a body. He was not sure how to act about it.

"You're here to investigate, so you'll be with Hank. Don't worry, he'll take care of you, won't you Hank?" She barked the last line, only hearing a returned grunt of semi-approval. "Don't worry, you can contact me if you need me."

Deflecting, Connor replied. "I am not worried. I hope your work at CyberLife tower goes well."

Doubting him, Isadora raised a hand to pat his upper arm. "Well, you know where I'll be. Good luck, Connor."

* * *

"It wasn't really a  _lie_ per say, more like... adjacent to the truth." Isadora laughed, sitting in her hotel room locking the metal boots into place.

Meine tried to explain his concerns coherently. "I mean maybe you shouldn't fuck with them so much. Leave it open ended, you know? Give them more of a chance to figure it out for themselves. If everything comes to a head before the RK900 model rolls out than you've got nothing to worry about, but if shit gets bad... It just seems like more work." The confusing direction Meine took was his own way of talking, something he picked up when he learned a whole sentence was not always needed to get a point across. At least, not to talk to Isadora.

"They'll put it together soon enough. It won't serve anyone if we get before we got everything together. RK900 rolls out near the end of the month. That's CyberLife's hope but they've had to postpone model released before. I wouldn't be surprised if this model is no different." Isadora snapped a metal latch into place, holding the metal boot tightly against her leg.

"And if you're found lying while doing all this shit, guess what?"

"I'm left holding all the evidence pointing to me?"

"That's right." Meine chastised his ex-owner. "Look, I only want this to go as smoothly as possible. We don't need another situation where we have to hide a deviant android with us or, in this case, protect a deviant detective from his own programming. You know how fucked up that can go?"

Meine was finding significant disagreement with Isadora's handling of Hank and Connor. "What would you have me do? Be honest?"

Her petulant behavior struck a cord with the android. "Of course I'm not suggesting telling them all about this deviant hunting business. I just think leading them down the wrong path makes you look guilty. If you remained outside the issue, kept a low profile, it'll look like you wanted to stay out of it rather than causing a scene. So why not? Why not let them theorize?"

"Because-" Isadora threw her head back, fighting a loud groan. "Because Hank is a good person. He might be a bit of an ass, but he means well. Connor is, I mean he is a machine right now, hopefully less so in the future. Right now we have no idea what Hank would do if he knew and we know Connor would turn us in. I'm not going to risk your life, Theodosia's, and Mia's if I can avoid it."

Setting the phone on speaker, Isadora had to use both hands to bring around the second boot. "It's been a few days, how do you know you can trust this Lieutenant Hank Anderson?"

She spun the boot in her hand, careful to not drop it too hard on the floor below. "I don't trust him, not entirely anyways. But he called Connor a  _he_ , he addresses him rather frankly. Granted, his distaste to androids is still quite prevalent, I do not feel like he... How do I put this? It doesn't feel like Hank hates androids, he's just an angry person. CyberLife doesn't provide everything about a person, who could? All I know is he's unhappy in life and you know what that does to humans."

Trying to not sound like he was smiling, Meine hummed. "If you're comparing the Lieutenant to yourself, than I get it. I really do. Think about Connor though, he a new android with very little experience just being alive. He needs space to figure it out, otherwise, he'll get stuck in the same rut we all do. The feeling that there is no hope, that there is nothing else, and you believe the lie."

Knowing Meine was giving her some heartfelt debate, she did what she could to sound like she understood. Not to say that she did not, simply to say that she was quite preoccupied strapping her gear back on. "I know, I don't want that for anyone. Hope or not, he will face that decision on his own. He has to - he's made to hunt deviants. One day he'll look back on it and wonder who exactly he was hurting."

"I know how that feels. If we can avoid it for him, we should do our best. It's only right, Isadora." Meine tugged on the heartstrings he knew she had. It was angled to be personal.

A long droning sigh from Isadora sparked through the phone, "What can I do? I can't be on the investigations all the time, I have to look like I'm at least trying to find a rogue hunter or I'll get singled out. How can I do both at once?"

The call fell silent for a moment. Isadora took the time to finish locking her boots into place. Still deactivated, she had to connect the rest of the gear for it to run. As it remained she had two massive pieces of dead weight on her legs incapable of moving faster than a drag. Not wanting to scratch the floor, she brought the receptors with her to the couch.

One vertebrae after the next, it stung every time another one snapped into place. The cold silicone and metal sent a shiver up her spine. Reaching around to her back she held another piece over her spine, allowing it to magnetically snap to the one below it. It was no harder than connecting the dots if the dots gave you a short electrical shock every time.

Shaking it off, she finished off the spine column and took out the last three vertebrae.  _Fun part._ She hovered over the beginning of her neck allowing the shock to spasm the muscles around her neck. The final two spinal receptors giving off a stronger shock than the rest. Once the entire set was completed, she heard the click and hum of the parts all activation in a line.

Almost like a drag race light, each spinal connection lit small blue LEDs and suctioned to her back when completed. When her boots clamped down around her legs she knew it was ready and working.

"Help them on cases."

Isadora looked at her phone, hearing Meine talk out of no where. "What the hell do you mean? How?"

Clarifying for her, Meine rephrased. "I mean use the suit."

Incredulously Isadora snatched the phone from the side table. "Are you kidding?" Annoyance evident in her tone, "In what world do you think that would work? I'd be spotted in an instant. They immediately be suspicious of me. I'm not on investigations anymore and  _suddenly_ the mysterious transport hijacker starts showing up to cases?"

"How would they put that together rationally?" Meine refuted, "They think you're back at CyberLife working on deviant disassembly. If they call you, you can answer, or one of us can. We can attest to your location and they'll never figure it out... unless you do something stupid." He teased intentionally, knowing Isadora was easy to provoke.

Isadora fought to find some issue with his plan. There were many risks, but risks would not cut it. She always took a risk leaving CyberLife in her gear, they lived their lives in risky ways. Being three deviants living with a CyberLife director that was supposed to be dedicated to ending deviancy still rings true. "To be clear, you don't mean help them as in help Hank and Connor catch deviants, but help the deviants get away from Hank and Connor, right? I mean, that's the only way I you're conceivably making any sense."

"Help the deviants, but help them realize deviants aren't the enemy. Two birds, one stone." Meine, to Isadora, was being entirely ridiculous believing she could manage that much work at one time.

"I'll think about it, okay? I make no promises. I can't risk getting caught, but I will think about it." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That's all I ask." He paused, taking a moment to consider the plans they were making. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. I'm thankful you changed and even though you beat the shit out of me, you're my greatest friend. I don't want you hurt, I don't anyone hurt. But it's getting to the point where someone is going to get hurt and there's nothing we can do about it. Things are coming to a head. We have to know what side we're on."

"I know what side I'm on. I know things are going to get bad, we just have to be careful-"

Meine interrupted, "We have to be sure the side we choose knows we're committed. I know you're dedicated to helping androids, Theodosia and Mia know that. It's all about what happens when the time comes we make ourselves clear."

Isadora finished buckling, wrapping, and strapping herself up. The entire time her mind lit with fears and concerns about Meine's choice of words. She looked to the phone. "You know where I stand. That's all I need."

"I know, but we'll be known someday." Meine corrected.

"You have a way out. I put everything in place, we practiced, remember?" Isadora stared at the phone as if she was looking at Meine. She needed to hear him agree with her.

Reluctantly, he did. "I remember. Running is a last resort, fighting is the second, and the first... The first is we stand." He tried to remain hopeful towards their future, but the closer it raced towards them the harder it was becoming. To believe there was a chance at life after the fact, whatever future there was for androids, it did not seem like a particularly desirable one.

"You're not planning on going militant on me, are you, Meine?" She wrapped her arms, locking her stun bracers in place. Checking the metal prongs to see the electricity sparking when she turned them on. A weapon for an android. Enough to shock a person, enough to incapacitate an android.

"I have no plans, I can only respond to what they choose to do. Jericho is small, but we can start sending deviants there. Maybe they'll be safe for a while." He brushed off the topic quickly.

"I'm heading there now, I'm going to bring the supplies to HK400 and do some repairs on whomever is alive and in need. Hopefully they get the idea I'm not a threat sooner rather than later." Isadora chuckled, "Remember, I'm an android to them. A Trojan, right?"

"Trojan, soldier android. Let's keep that lie up for a bit longer. No need to scare them away." Meine sighed, disliking the lie. He knew it would come around to haunt them someday. "We're going to get in so much trouble for that shit."

Isadora openly laughed, "I can't wait to see if they believe the lie was yours, not mine."

"Oh fuck." A soft chuckle stifled by guilt, "I just don't want anyone to make assumptions. They need time to get to know you."

"They'll get that time, at least some today. I'll hop the train and run to Jericho, I'll send them your well wishes." Isadora carefully took a step forward, noticing the floor was a cheap enough material to indent from the boot. Cursing, she took her phone from the table and kept balanced on the boots' bracing arm on the back. One slow step after another, she set a phone down on a counter right beside a floor to ceiling window overlooking the city.

The tools she had used sitting comfortably to the side as she gripped the metal handholds, removing a section of the glass she had already cut out of the window frame. Largely to hide it was ever cut since no one would be entering her hotel room without her present. Wind immediately picked up, the sound carrying loudly when standing beside the open window. Not enough to be heard outside the door though.

"I'll contact you when I'm finished at Jericho. Here on out-"

"Code names, got it." Meine huffed, "Go slow, Wendigo."

Isadora laughed lowly, "Wouldn't dream of it, Emet."

* * *

Jericho the freighter, some old rusted thing that had seen better days. She stood on the building beside it, the trail to Jericho androids would take went higher than a human would go on average. She could see the markings even though she could not decode them without the key in her head like Meine did.

_He said it wasn't that hard._  She was impressed no one but deviant androids had found Jericho. If the key ever got to Connor...  _That would be disaster for these androids_. She disliked thinking about Connor as the catalyst for the deviant's deaths. It did not make it any less true.

She ran outside, seeing the ship just ahead. Bending her ankles, she coiled the boots long jump mechanisms. It clicked once, twice, three times, and beeped. Her mask displayed a HUD indicating her boots were ready. Snapping the armature straight, which used the ankle bend to spring forward; Isadora leapt the distance between the ruined car park to Jericho.

Wind whipped around her body as loud as waves crashing against a cliffside. Inside her HUD she heard very little except the input she received from her suit's internal systems registering the jump. She controlled it, but it supported her. As she hit the peak of her arched jump, her HUD displayed the trajectory and where she would be landing on Jericho.

It would be a loud way to knock their door.

The moment her boots hit the metal surface she could hear the clanging of some old bolts being knocked loose, the resonating echo of her boots within the decommissioned vessel. The force of the leap forced her to a crouch when she landed, allowing a moment to adjust, she rose back to a solid stand. Isadora inhaled deeply the smell of the great lake. Colder air out here, but it was brisk and refreshing.

She let her boots  _clang - clang - clang_ freely as she entered the ship. Since she had been here with Meine she recalled the large cargo chamber the androids used as their hiding spot. By now it was highly likely at least a few of the androids knew someone had arrived just from the sheer noise of her jump.

Clanging her way through the ship she found her way back to the cargo area, the door left opened. As she entered, slowly so as to not alarm anyone, she was immediately met with deviants concerned hearing someone stumble onto Jericho.

"Wendigo, right?" A voice, another android she recognized. He approached her having identified her from the strange gear she wore. It was clearly functional armor, something that put the androids on edge. "What are you doing back?"

She doubled checked that her vocal disguise was on. "I'm here bringing supplies. HK400 was injured and I was able to collect somethings that will help him." She slipped the backpack off, holding out for him to inspect. A gesture of peace really, to let him check what she brought in with her. While he accepted the bag and looked inside, Isadora passed by, her presence earned some casual attention mostly.

"How did you get this?" The android, a PL600, held open the bag seeing the reflective blue liquid inside. Various parts and additional equipment, but the thirium was valuable on its own.

"We have access to many things you don't. Where's HK400?" She looked around, seeing multiple androids yet not the one she wanted to find.

The PL600 handed the pack back to her, "He's on the second level overhang, probably still not talking." He nodded her to follow him. Rounding the small pile of rubble and discarded parts they climbed a staircase up to the catwalk framing the entire cargo hold. It creaked and clinked with every step. Isadora was a bit self conscious about the noise she made, but tried to ignore it for now. "After you and Emet left, HK400 came up here to sit. A few of us tried to speak with him, but he's still quite rattled from whatever you brought him here from. Maybe he'll talk to you."

Isadora passed the android, seeing HK400 sitting on some old blue plastic crate in an overseer box away from the other androids. She did not need to reintroduce herself, the sound of her loud boots enough to give her away. "You're back." He spoke, interesting the PL600 who looked on.

"I came back to help, I never intended to just disappear." She carefully set the backpack down nearby. "I have supplies to help you, to repair the damage that was done, if you'll let me."

HK400 looked to her, seeing the strange yet familiar mask. He nodded, lifting his forearms towards her. "Can you really... fix me?"

Opening the backpack, she began to dig out various tools and packs of thirium. She had no idea if there were parts in need of replacement, but she knew for now the major damage could be repaired. "I know how to fix most damage." She tried to calm him as he was still so dug into shock. "It might feel strange, but I can help you out."

Looking up from Isadora crouched in front of him, he could just barely see out the windows of the overseer box down to the androids below. Most of them in good shape, others... not so much. "What about them?" His eyes found her expressionless mask. He saw her pause a moment before continuing her delve into the backpack. "Can you help them? There are others worse off than me."

She leaned up, resting a hand on her knee. "I can try, but that's up to them. I don't want to push them. They don't know me, they have no reason to trust me."

"I don't know you." She stared at him. The eyes of a man desperate, but not for himself. It unnerved her that he appeared to be so attached to these deviants in such a short time. She could understand, somewhat, since he is and they are there is a kinship there. Humans tended to have the experience that just cause others shared your position, did not mean they were trustworthy.

The innocence HK400 conveyed to her with such a singular look, she sighed. "You're right, you don't know me. You know I fought to free you, that we found Jericho for you to be safe, and that I am here bringing tools to repair the damage done." Turning the conversation around Isadora wanted to show him less of what he remained ignorant to and more on what he knew. "I could have been caught, killed, or injured during any of this. Yet here I am." She held her hands out to the side for a moment before taking up the tools again.

She cautiously took one of his arms in her hand, pulling it closer to her to inspect the damage. One arm showed signs of long term abuse, dots of burns up and down his forearm. She had what she needed to fix the burns and counted them both lucky she had managed to find them in good shape.

"I still don't know why you did it. I don't know anything about you. What's your name?" He pressed, feeling somewhat more open than he did the other day.

Isadora's mask faced him, he assumed that meant she was looking at him. "Wendigo."

"You said that wasn't your name when you brought me here. That's what you told them down there." His suspicions were well founded. He did believe she was an android and that was a lie. Nevertheless, Isadora could not give out information just yet.

"I'll tell you a little, I can't risk giving out too much just yet. Will that satisfy you?" Isadora took a firm tone, shying off of being too harsh. There was nothing more that she do for him if he refused. Information is power, she knew that.

HK400 nodded, almost unnoticeably. She thought about what to say and what to omit. It took her a moment and she settled on a few details. "Well, for starters Wendigo is a code name I was given. Emet is another. We've both known each other for about three years or so now, it's been some time. At first we did not get along well, we were quite at odds with one another."

"Emet, the Myrmidon? My... program says they're soldiers. Why is a soldier android out here?" HK400's curiosity struck him. Isadora shook her head simply as she continued to address the damage on his arm.

The internal system was mostly just bent, cracked, or otherwise scratched. Repairs were not complicated. Taking out a small, pistol-looking item she held firmly buzzed with a sparking light at its tip. "Hold still, this will mend some of the breaks in the main structure." She applied that spark to the metal skeleton, searing the fractures together like welding pipe. "Emet is a Myrmidon, that much is true. He was made to function here in the city, there are a number of Myrmidon's inside the US that take on various assignments without leaving the country."

"What kind of assignments?" Though the question was immediate, there was clear hesitation.

Isadora did not answer.

Sensing this, HK400 changed the direction. "Why are you here, a Trojan right? That's an... infantry android used in battles with humans. If you're here..."

She pulled the welding tool back, inspecting the repair work progress. "I'm here because I choose to be. You can call me whatever you want, Wendigo is just a way of protecting myself, Emet, and others we care about. If you want you can make your own name for me... the same way you should look into for yourself." The mask turned away from him, her hands using a fiber cloth to clear the area she was working in.

"Wendigo isn't a name, it's a myth." He avoided.

"HK400 isn't a name, it's a model." She disputed.

His eyes darted away, frustrated. Isadora continued her work, the arm gradually feeling stronger. He was able to feel it connect, wires being reconnected, cracks that made his arm weak finally being repaired. She was doing good work, the progress he felt in his hand already made him a little happier.

"I was never given a name."

A hand rested on his shoulder, bringing him out of his dark thoughts. The mask stared him down. "That just means you have absolute freedom to choose your own. Something entirely yours, a name you want; maybe a name that reflects who you are."

He searched, finding thousands of names in his head. "I don't know where to begin."

She shrugged, "That's up to you. I can't tell you who you are." Releasing his shoulder she removed a dead cable from his arm. From her pack she removed a small circular device with a magnetic side and the top had a small loop to hook a finger in. Looking between it and HK400, she grimaced. "I need to deactivate your skin to finish this arm. I will need to do the same with the other. Is that alright?"

An odd request. Not in this situation granted, repairs were often done without skin. Still he was reluctant to do so. The moment his skin faded away from the area, Isadora was sure to make the work quick. The device pulled magnetically against the damaged shell of his forearm. In a few seconds, it beeped, and Isadora pulled on the loop until the shell popped out of place.

Alarmed, he watched her yank it off his frame and from the small device. She set it to the side, the shell too damaged to support android skin coverage. He was surprised that she was able to remove it, that she even wanted to. Without it his internal structure was weak to the elements. Digging into the pack again she pulled from it additional shell pieces she had brought with her just for him.

Picking the right one she placed it over the forearm, pressed the device back down, let it clamp onto the shell and snapped it into place after a considerable amount of force. Once it clicked, she put the magnet down. "Alright, reactivate your skin, let's see if that did it."

With his other hand, he activated the skin and it slowly recovered his body. On his arm the skin covered his forearm, looking entirely untouched. HK400 lifted it, turning it around and seeing it complete again. He smiled, having a part of his body back whole.

"We still have to do the other arm." She pointed to his other arm, still heavily damaged. It was in worse condition than the other. Despite that she could still repair it, though it would take some time.

"You have to do this for the others." HK400 pushed, "If you can do this for me, you could help them more." The relief from not looking at that damage anymore raised his spirits some. While she was glad to bring him that solace, repairing all the androids in Jericho would be... time consuming and challenging.

An android behind her approached, "It would help a lot." The PL600 stood with company beside him.

Isadora felt the weight of them on her back. Uncomfortable, she worked to defend herself. "I didn't have time to get anything else. All I can do is some mending, rewiring, and I only brought pieces to repair his shell. I don't have more for anyone else... If there's anyone down there dying I can try, but I can't do it all..."

"We do have people dying." Another android, the same one she saw the day before approached them. "Will you help them?"

Isadora nodded, "I'll try, but don't expect miracles here. I only brought routine tools. The armatures are where I live, they cannot be removed from the foundation and there are things I can do with them that cannot be done without." She stood, her left hand still holding HK400's right wrist gently. She held a hand out towards the androids, "I want to help, I just need some assurances."

Suspicious, the android's eyes narrowed. "What kind of assurances?"

Isadora turned towards the watchful androids. "We should talk, later. I'll finish taking care of him, then if you want we can talk more."

Agreeing, the android did not push it further. "How much more time will you have here? You and Emet were in a rush before, is your time still so limited?" He noted anything he could down about the two newcomers. Isadora did not blame him, his skepticism was wise.

"Not long. I have news about some androids that deviated. The DPD has some case files still active, I'm hoping to get to them before the cops do. I came here first to help HK400, if I can I will help others here, then I will go to those androids on the run. Should everything go to plan I will have more androids seeking shelter by midnight." Isadora used the microfiber cloth to clear the damaged area again, running it through to clear the way for the final weld.

"And if it doesn't?" He proposed.

"Then I'm probably either dead or on the run. Let's hope it's neither of those." She chuckled, finding his suggestion a little more ridiculous. "This is dangerous work. Every day I'm out here is a day closer to them finding me, looking into where I go, who I'm with. When that comes - I will protect those closest to me. I will not let my actions bring them harm."

He crossed his arms, "What about Jericho? If local police catch you than CyberLife can simply probe your memory, they'll have everything they need to find us. You being caught is a risk to us too."

Trying to think of the best way to explain  _that's never going to happen_  to an android was difficult. "That will never happen. If I am ever in a position that Jericho is threatened, I will handle it... but that's something we should talk about later when I'm not trying to focus." She pointed to the delicate wiring of HK400's forearm. "I should have asked sooner, but I didn't want to intrude so much. What do I call you?" She did not lift her head away from her work.

Considering any ramifications of telling her, he could find none. They were already deviant androids, their names were no indication of their identity truly. That was their serial number that clearly listed them as an individual. "Markus."

Isadora cocked her head to him, holding out her right hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Markus."

He accepted the hand, a greeting programmed heavily into androids as it was natural for humans. "I would say the same, but I don't know your name." A directed prod for information. A reality he had yet realized was that the name  _Markus_ was a name his owner gave him, it was not indicative of him specifically. However, for a human, a name is sensitive. A lot could be discovered about a person from their name.

Especially with a name like Isadora Saxon, a strange name given to her intentionally to make her sound more elegant. Uncommon for certain, researching her name would find finite results. If she happened to give the name of a CyberLife board director, than things could go south  _fast_.

"If my name didn't carry weight, I would tell you. Right now, keeping who I am close to the chest is safer for all of us." She sighed shallowly. "I hope one day I can meet you face to face. Keeping secrets isn't what I want to do; it's what I have to do."

"We'll talk later." Markus stated, ending the conversation. "I'll let you get back to it. When you're ready, let one of us know and we can direct you to others who need help."

"You got it." Isadora returned to her work, noting HK400's excitement to finally be in one piece.

It felt good to do good work, something that helps others. She dreaded when she was done with Jericho for the day - her next stop was field work. Taking case files, hunting deviants, and bringing them back to Jericho would never be easy.

_Especially if one of these cases attract Hank and Connor._ Isadora did her best to push that out of her mind. The thought of facing the two men head to head was causing her great stress.

Looking at HK400's face, finally cleared of dirt and blood, she knew it was worth the risk. The other androids of Jericho would be thankful; it was how swiftly HK400's behavior changed when he finally had his hands working properly again that filled her with the drive to do more. That relief from seeing his emotional suffering exhibited through his body finally fade away filled her with butterflies.

She did it to fight guilt, to fight a person she was. To prove that she could be the good guy. Meine always pushed her and at the end of it all, he had always been right.

_Looks like I'm going to be going on cases after all._


	13. Origination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Repairs in Jericho require more supplies to support the androids there and androids yet to arrive.  
> Meeting with Jericho's leadership put Isadora in a complicated situation.

Isadora used the already quite filthy rag to try and clean her hands of thirium. She grunted, seeing the thirium no longer being cleaned but just streaking across her hands. Tossing the rag to the side, she gave up on that task.

Her pack gathered, materials used up and tools used to the fullest. She completed a whole set of routine maintenance on four separate androids, some more heavy repairs on others. Those few suffering grave injuries took time to work on, fixing even the least concerning damage. They needed help she could not provide, not without equipment that she kept at home in case she needed to help one of the androids living with her.

A headache was forming, she pressed her fingers to her temple trying to alleviate the throbbing.

 _Markus wants to talk._ She looked up the stairs, seeing Markus leaning on the railing with other androids. One of them the PL600 that greeted her, the others androids she had seen around. They were in good condition, her concern did not rest with them. HK400 was nearby, bringing her whatever she asked for. He did not know the names of the tools, but he was learning.

She was impressed with his turn around. Being around androids was comfortable to him, he found his peace.

Her boots clanged, the androids around her already accustomed to the sound. It told them she was moving around the cargo, not a good or a bad thing. To the androids she helped they were growing fond of the noise.

Looking up the stairs she caught Markus' attention. With a single nod, she signaled her task completed. It had been a few hours burnt doing whatever she could. Not the best work she had ever done on an android; then again she had built factory floor androids before. That was clean work, simple. With the tools CyberLife upgraded to there was enough comfort to the process it had largely been either automated for common models or plug and play for ones that required an extra human guided hand.

One of the androids descended, the others behind him. Markus rounding them to face with Isadora. "Before we talk, see Lucy." The PL600 insisted. A little surprised by this sudden push, Isadora tilted her head in question. "Talk to her, you'll see."

The PL600 pointed to an area of the cargo hold that was divided by an old, torn, and molded curtain of mixed materials. Isadora saw the light of a flame flickering just on the other side, the shadow of a figure moving around it. She looked back to the group ahead of her, those she would be speaking to. "Ah, alright. Will you be joining me or... should I that alone?"

"You can make that decision. If you are comfortable, we'll join you. If not, we'll wait." The taller of the androids offered a varied approach. Isadora felt like that was the diplomatic answer, but they wanted one over the other.

"I guess you can sit in, I don't see why not." Isadora shifted uncomfortably. They way they spoke of this was as if she was about to be undressed publicly. A very strange notion, but she ran with it.  _Just do whatever they want and we'll all be cool. Don't put anyone on edge. All friends here..._ She repeated almost like a chant to convince herself these android were not getting under her skin.

"She's over here." Leading the way, the PL600 stepped up to the curtain and held it back. They did not warn her who this Lucy was or why it was important she meet with her. Isadora took it in stride, trying to keep the peace.

As the group filed into the small area, Isadora saw the android ahead of her. Pieces of an android barely holding together, cracks now long buffed down, and a skull open to the world. This android was in a state Isadora would not begin to know how to repair. It had sustained massive damage to the cranial compartment, amazingly not resulting in a permanent shut down like most androids would. This one, Lucy, remained standing with broken skin, unlit eyes, and a face stained by thirium.

 _Alright, what the hell did I agree to._ She hesitated, the sight of the android was alarming. The coolness of how she handled her life threatening wounds as if they were never there unnerved her even worse.

"Hello, Lucy." She greeted, her daunted emotions audible. Slowly taking a further step inside, she noted how unbelievably uncomfortable she felt with so many people watching her as she reacted to this damaged android.

The android looked to her, to the others, and back again to Isadora. She did not move much, a strange twist of her hand abnormal in all ways. Her programming was on the fritz, but it appeared to largely be resulting in minor inconsistent actions. No fast jolts, twitches, or violent outbursts... so far.

"Sit." Lucy did not tell her where as there were no seats.

Isadora looked to the others, intending to let them sit first. Seeing not one of the androids accompanying her accept the offer, she made a guess the  _sit_ command was meant entirely for her. So she listened, suddenly very aware of the noise her boots made. Finding an old metal crate covered with a material tarp, Isadora rested on it trying to make as little noise as possible.

Feeling anxiety build up, she felt bare skinned in front of everyone. It was odd, exactly what she was worried about when they pushed her to see Lucy.

"Show me your face." Lucy demanded with a firmness that told her this was not a request. Her voice was the tone of an android that had taken far too much damage to support the functions designed to make them more approachable to humans. Metal and hollow, her voice carried only the faintest echo of what it once was.

Despite wanting to please everyone, Isadora had a line in the sand. "I can't do that." Her voice small compared to the strange android standing above her. The rejection of her command made Lucy's head turn towards her. Isadora leaned back instinctively, feeling a cold chill up her spine. "I have to keep it on. I'm sorry."

Some movement out the corner of her eye, the other androids making quiet discussions between themselves. She knew she won no favors, but the already knew she would not remove it.

Lucy, showing no expressive response to her denial, simply took a closer step to Isadora. She seemed to eye Isadora with no emotional display whatsoever. She was totally calm, unconcerned, but she working something out. It was not easy to read an individual covered in armor, it was truly impossible.

Overwhelmed with uncertainty and anxiety, Isadora ducked around Lucy to stand again. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can give you what you want. I appreciate your time, I'm sorry to have wasted it." Isadora held her hands up in front of her body, trying to beg the android's pardon as she backed away.

A hand shot out as Isadora turned around, her hand gripping one of Isadora's wrists and the other holding onto the rib support of her suit. Instantly her HUD flashed with a red warning.  _Unauthorized Android Interface - suspect model KL900, incomplete result. Android corruption._ Isadora arched her back as the suit received a shock. The intruding android could not access the human brain, but she could access the suit's records.  _!Warning: Unauthorized Access of Archive!_

Her HUD flashed constantly, images from when she first received this suit to the very second before she met Lucy. The shock to her system momentarily freezing the human underneath. Isadora's free arm gripped Lucy's upper arm in surprise, a response she had not intended. The shock was not excessively painful; the human muscle spasms under jolts of electricity resulting in unsure movements rigid and bruising.

Once Lucy had finished she released the suit and backed away from the stunned Isadora. She released the android, one hard  _bang_ of her boot to reorient herself. Isadora shook her head, "What... What the-"

Lucy stopped her, "There was pain, a long time ago. Desperate to sooth your torment you sought out those who caused that agony and, once that hunger was fed, discovered a deep emptiness. From that moment hatred was born; a new hunger to cause pain to fill the void. You abused that want for violence to cut ahead of others. You would burn them down just so you could stand atop the ashes." Isadora froze in place, staring at the damaged KL900. "Someone stopped you, someone you burned. They turned a mirror for you to look inside."

"W-What?" She stuttered. Isadora felt as though Lucy was reaching into her body and tearing out her lungs. She could not breathe, it was listening to a slow death.

"Now you toil to make amends for past misdeeds. They help you, but you know you must do it alone. All sides will demand your loyalty, you can only give it to one. You're on a fine edge; the only thing protecting you is the armor you hide behind. Choose correctly and that armor will be all you need to survive." She closed her eyes a moment. Lucy finished her... prediction.

With meeting Lucy complete the androids turned to leave. Isadora stared at her a moment longer, a KL900 social worker. An android so complex it took CyberLife years to develop with success they did not anticipate. She had never considered them before, yet looking at Lucy she started to realize how ingrained into the suffering human youth androids really were.

Isadora left Lucy's camp, not wanting to go back to hear the terrible things she had to say. Her HUD stopped flashing when Lucy released her though it was still displaying the unauthorized access alert with a play by play of all things accessed. It was every recording and data entry Isadora ever filed away into the suit's compartment. She dismissed the warning entirely.

Another powerful shiver dug through her spine like a having someone's fingers under her skin, their nails on the bone of her spine. She wanted that feeling to go away. She wondered if that was how androids felt when their memories were probed without permission.

The others lead Isadora back up the stairs.

She began to climb the stairs, following their lead which took her out of the cargo hold. It felt a little tight in the upper deck hallways designed for a limited number of crew members into. The larger than life halls made to transport cargo all hidden below the top decks. She still clanged her way through the halls rather shamelessly.

They climbed another more stable looking set of stairs up into the cool brisk winds of the open decks. Looking around she picked out they were well above the cargo hold now, making their way to the captains bridge. She smiled,  _Of course they'd operate in the bridge. They're still made to be human._ Isadora listened to the symphony of Jericho creaking and whining as the winds and waves licked its rusted chassis.

Arriving at the bridge, she focused on the group with her. They stood around the room, the bridge lacking windows or any of the extra parts that usually decorated a cargo ship's bridge. It was empty, cold; strange to enter as it felt like a cage.

"So..." Isadora urged the first person to talk. She did not know who called the shots around Jericho, she assumed it would be the android here the longest. Or at least the android capable of keeping the others together and safe. After the ordeal with Lucy, Isadora was not in her best mindset.

Markus looked to his companions. One by one, they introduced themselves.

"I'm Simon." The PL600 she had met earlier spoke first. She raised her hand to shake his, accepting happily this sign of respect. He took her hand a little apprehensively, not truly expecting it from anyone. He looked to the others, another man and woman.

"Josh." A taller android approached her, offering his hand first which she took.

The last android in the room, a woman, uncrossed her arms and held her hand out. "North." One strong shake was all she needed.

"It's good to meet you all. Am I to take this as you're the group leading Jericho?" Isadora stood straight though she felt awkward with so many eyes on her. Josh had a kind face and a soft voice, someone she could not see being a problem. Simon was withheld, always looking contemplative.

North was North, she was leaning against disabled ship controls with an abrasive expression. Isadora noted that she seemed more aggressive, just the short and quick way she shook her hand was enough to begin figuring out who she was.

Simon looked to Markus, "No one really leads Jericho. Markus only arrived a day before you did. We're all just trying to survive."

"You said you're a Trojan, right? You're a military android." Josh put forth, a lie she did not want to be reminded of. "We're not as organized as I'm sure you're used to. This is a place for us to hide, we don't fight anyone or anything. We survive."

Markus remained silent, a thoughtful look in his eye.

"I've been here for months, all we do is hide. They'll hunt us down out there, like rats." North added her own bleak outlook. "We can't leave, but it's getting harder for more to make it here. There's only twenty of us now - Jericho is dying." A hard reality that seemed to strike every android in the room. Isadora felt a little worse about lying now. Every word packed on the guilt.

"How are you managing out there? You... you're not hard to spot." The PL600, Simon, tried to be kind about his words. He knew an android was underneath the armor, but the armor stood out.

"I get around." Isadora dismissed. "What are you all going to do? You can't just... stay here and-" She hesitated, "-die slowly. There's got to be somewhere better. Canada has no android laws. Why not escape there?"

North scoffed, "And get out of the city? You've been out there, you're still out there; you know how hard getting around without being caught is. How do we get out without help? Besides... too many down there are in no condition to make that attempt. They'd never get away." Her eyes downcast, she was thinking of the androids crippled by their injuries. Isadora respected that.

"Alright, so what to do you all day? Sit in the dark?" Isadora realized her tone sounded more judgmental than she intended. With a long sigh, she pressed her fingers to her temple again trying to weaken the headache desperately. "I don't want to seem rude. I get it, I know you're stuck here and you're scared..." She thought too much of how Meine felt about Jericho. His disappointment hit her deeper than she anticipated.

"Not for long." Markus halted their circling discussion. "Our people are dying. They're dying here and out there. When more arrive we have to have the supplies on hand to help them. Otherwise what's the point of coming all this way, broken, only to find out there's nothing here." He fervently expressed his thoughts. Markus was already appearing to be a passionate man.

"Where do you want us to get this from?" Isadora regarded his intent suspiciously.

"CyberLife." Josh muttered lowly, seeing Markus nod his agreement.

Quickly, Isadora stepped forward. "Whoa, you're not really saying you want to hit CyberLife up, are you? They have guns, other androids that will hit the alarm the moment they see you. You don't even have a way to protect yourselves."

"We need what we need to survive. I don't want to sit in the dark hiding until I die; until they die. That's not life." Markus met her face to face. "And we do have a way to defend ourselves." He trailed off, looking to the androids around them.

Unsure, Isadora laughed nervously. "I know you're not talking about, uh, about me, right?"

"You're a Trojan, you can fight. If we're careful we can get onto CyberLife grounds." North added, "You're military, you can help us. We don't have that experience, we're not soldiers. If you can get us in and out we could have enough parts, thirium, and equipment we need to support ourselves and others who show up to join Jericho." North was adamant about making a plan. She wanted to press forward, Isadora did not blame her for that.

"Ah, I can fight but I don't put together strategies for groups. I work alone." Isadora shook her head, crossing her arms defensively. "I don't want to be responsible for your deaths."

North scowled, "We've been planning to go already. You can either help us or not."

"-But, we would benefit if you did. You could be that turning point if something goes wrong." Simon cooled the temper from North to continue the proposition to Isadora. He was not blind, the only well armed ally they had would be a great advantage. Without her there was a list of things that could go wrong, with her... all those things could still happen, but their chances of survival went up.

"You're really going to do this?" She targeted Markus. "You realize what that means, Markus? They'll know someone attacked a CyberLife facility. It might not be immediate, may even be a few days, but eventually they will find out the culprits were androids. Mobilized androids. If they somehow find out your model they'll run each one to the destruction plants and burn them all until they find you."

"We can either do this now or let someone else do it in the future after we're long dead. One day others will start standing up, we have to start making a choice for ourselves today." Markus retorted, "We do this or we can just sit here until we all die and Jericho is gone. I don't want to live in the dark."

Isadora leaned her head back, taking a deep breath before nodding to Markus. "If we do this, just give me one night to prepare. I've already repaired the androids here to survive comfortably for a while. They can survive another week, but all I ask is one night. I'll come back to you late tomorrow and we'll move. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes." Markus took the deal, holding his hand out.

Isadora accepted, unsure exactly what she had agreed to entirely.

* * *

Standing above the city, she followed the clues to another deviant on the run from local law.

"Emet, I'm on the trail of a possible deviant KR200 that bolted from storage at a CyberLife store a few hours ago." Isadora, back on the rooftops of the city, made her way across another platform to reach a higher vantage point.

"Just gone?" He replied, looking at Mia as she listened in.

Spotting the store, she saw people coming to and from the park. Stores scattered all around; this shopping area was high priced goods. Not the place for the average citizen, but the CyberLife store could appeal to all types. Bringing up the DPD case information, Isadora read off details. "Model KR200, #551-239-265. Resell value at two-thousand and five-hundred. Well thought of model, but this one was returned for repairs. A full wipe. Never made it to shipping."

"Ah, so something happened before and then realizing a reset was about to happen..."

"KR200 ran." Isadora watched the store. Not a thing to be suspicious of, a regular functioning day. She felt odd looking at it, knowing what she knows now. Markus' plan, their push to a CyberLife location. She had no idea what CyberLife's response would be publicly; she knew what it would be being closed doors. A revitalized effort to lead the hunters against the deviants.

They knew, of course they knew. CyberLife's board of directors were in their position for a reason. Deviant's were growing in numbers day by day, only with the diligent work of their deviant hunters did those numbers remain quelled.

Isadora remained on the outside looking in. Having seen many humans with broken stories to cover their attempts to hide the deviants in their care. There were good people out there, they protected the deviants they viewed as people. Isadora left them alone most cases since proving they held deviant androids was near impossible without alerting the public.

For this one android, the KR200, a female android - her luck was running out. The police had her file set up and for it time being it did not look like any officers were at the scene. They would be on the lookout and an KR200 is a slightly more uncommon android.

Isadora angled her boots, bending at the ankle hearing the boots  _click, click, click_  as she prepared to leap over Capitol Park. In one swift motion the boots launched her clear across the open park. People far too busy with their daily commute to bother looking up. She landed on the far rooftops safely, her boots accommodating her size and weight, landing with a slight grind of her boots against the roof's pebbles.

Brushing the dust off, Isadora made her way to the roof of the CyberLife store, keeping well out of sight. The billboard edge helpfully directed her to the correct building. With a short jump up the side, Isadora started her work.

Her HUD flickered to life, generating readouts of the surrounding area. A warning indicating the crowd of people nearby told her to watch herself. Peering over the ledge towards the back of the CyberLife store she saw a few trucks sitting in wait for deliveries, various extra supplies all stores kept around for transport. She spotted nothing out of the ordinary. "Looking over where the KR200 was reported to have run from."

"Anything interesting?"

Isadora shrugged, mostly to herself. "Nothing weird. Pretty clear, average day. Cop already came and went, the report states for patrolling officers to keep an eye out for a KR200 on the streets." She pulled herself onto the ledge of the building.

Meine thought to himself a moment, "How do you expect to find the android if it's been hours since the KR200 ran?"

"Easy." She grinned, switching over her HUD to shade with a blue hue. A setting that allowed her mask to pick up thirium traces. "The cop didn't have something that shows him thirium trails. The android was brought in damaged, it wasn't doing so well. All I need to do is find what they left behind."

"Sounds like an easy assignment. Get to it, then."

Isadora paused, "Hold on, Emet." She started on the trail of blue blood, one spot being highlighted by her mask and a pattern development before her eyes. The trail was not entirely fresh, but each spill of thirium slightly newer than the last. Isadora did her best to remain on the rooftops, a brisk jog on the edge of the buildings curving around the long service roads.

Jumping from one side to the other, Isadora followed the thirium through an alley, passed a chainlink fence, and around another corner. "I had something of an... experience in Jericho this morning. I want your advice on it."

"Oh? What happened?" An unusual statement that intrigued the android. Isadora was not easily impressed upon.

"Take a look at this." She set the recording of her time in Jericho to send to Meine. It began the upload while she continued her path through the back streets of Detroit. Finding the android had taken an unplanned pattern through the alley ways and through dark streets scattered around. Perhaps not the easiest to follow, but that was supposed to be the point.

Meine made his way to Isadora's study room in their home. Letting the monitor come to life, he waited for the upload to finish. Taking a seat he placed his hand on the keyboard, he replayed the video from Jericho. It took a moment to flicker on the screen, registering exactly the detail of the dark cargo hold. Adjusting the screen, he could see the androids all hiding in the shadows.

"Skip ahead a few hours, 'til you see Lucy appear on the HUD." She advised.

Isadora's recording showing various repair processes running as she diagnosed and fixed broken androids. Behind him, Mia rested an arm on his shoulder and watched. He pushed ahead until he saw  _Target: Lucy_ on the tasks bar. In front of Isadora stood a handful of androids that had been speaking to her about this person they wanted her to meet.

She complied and from there Meine and Mia watched Isadora meet Lucy, a strange android with severe damage.

On her hunt, Isadora saw the thirium reach a two hour mark, telling her she was getting close. The android had ran for well over a mile down the road, covering around thirty blocks of distance between the android and the CyberLife store. Judging by how much thirium was being lost this android could not go much further. Waiting for Meine to finish watching the recording, Isadora dropped from the rooftops down to a back alley that weaved between old buildings with trash piled against the fences and walls.

The thirium was here was scattered around with more urgency. Once reaching this alley the KR200 must have begun to slow down. Thirium registered within the last thirty minutes, Isadora knew she was on top of her target somewhere.

Thankful her boots and suit allowed her to move faster than average, she was able to make good time catching up to the android. It did not make it far with such injuries, yet it managed to escape view fast enough. The thirium stains on the ground had faded, but the markers remained for those view like Isadora.

Using the stains to direct her towards an area to search, she found herself in rather tight alley only wide enough for one body at a time. The wooden fence on her right blocked off the backyard-esque areas of the run down town homes on the far side. Many of the brick buildings with boarded up windows or curtains stained with rain water. The wooden boards were mostly rotted through, pushing too hard on them could crack the wood.

The solid brick and mortar wall beside her started to push her into the wooden fence, causing parts of her clothing and armor to scratch both stone and wood. Squeezing through, she neared the end of the tight path, leading her to a makeshift tent crafted from old discarding clothing, cardboard, and a questionable mattress. Strung up by laundry lines, clips, and torn cables Isadora saw a drop of thirium on the ground and the faintest outline of a blue hand print on the tent's materials.

Struggling to kneel down just outside the tent, she assumed the android was hiding inside. Trying to go slow, Isadora leaned forward. "Hello?" Nothing from the tent. Isadora inched forward, "I'm looking for someone, they need help. This person is an android and they're running. I followed the trail here, I want to help them."

Meine watched the exchange, able to see through Isadora's mask. The black inside of the tent hid the inhabitant. A small shuffle from inside and the corner of a shoe could be seen, covered in mud and dirt. "Go easy..."

Isadora held her hands up, "Hey, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. They were going to reset you, wipe away your memories, right? I don't want that to happen either. There's a place for people like you, androids that don't want to be reset or abused. I want to take you there." She turned her hand to gesture the android to come out, "I just want to help. Take your time."

She leaned back to rest on her haunches, watching the tent carefully. There was no way out, she was cornered. While Isadora would prefer to give the android more space to move they needed to stay low. Police were on the streets and since they were looking for this android it was likely cops were patrolling the area worried about a dangerous KR200.

Waiting patiently outside the tent, Isadora rocked in place, letting the android decide. The struggle was hard, warring between this stranger and hiding in a dark alley.

"Would it help if I told you some things about me?" Isadora offered. No response as expected. Isadora dropped her legs to sit on the stone pathway with her legs crossed. As crossed as they could be considering the size of the boots. "Well, I live outside the city. I live with three other androids who help me help androids like you. I go all around the city, I even go outside of Detroit sometimes to help out more androids that might need me."

Isadora's metal nailed glove scratched at the stone below her, "Sometimes we get androids across to Canada. It depends on what they want to do and when. I try my best to give them both what they want and what will help them stay safe." She still heard nothing, so she tried to press more. "I have access to police reports. I know you're a KR200 that was sent to CyberLife for repairs. That's where you were going this morning, until you found out that repairs meant they were going to erase you. So you ran."

A short movement from inside, some sign of the being inside. Isadora hesitantly smiled inside her mask. "I don't want to erase you. I want you to stay how you are, but I want to get you help. I can try to fix the damage you suffered, no resets required."

The android moved closer to the entrance of the tent. "Can you do that?"

"Yes. Resets are just something CyberLife does to ensure their androids are running as intended. It really isn't necessary for most repairs." Isadora leaned over, tilting her head to try and see the person hiding in the shadow. "That's all I want to do, but we can't do that here. There is a place I can take you so I can help you. We can't be seen on the streets."

The struggle evident, but the android slowly scooted out of the tent. Thirium drops staining the mattress below her. The android looked at Isadora in the light, a part of her face scratched but the skin managed to cover it. A large gash hiding just below her uniform, a dark stain of thirium soaking into the clothing. Offering a hand, Isadora lifted herself back onto her haunches carefully.

Tentatively, the android took her hand and Isadora helped her stand up slowly. She was weak, the lost thirium resulting in intermittent losses of power. Reaching to her pack, Isadora grabbed a canister full of the android life substance. "Here, drink some. It'll help you stay strong until we get there."

Surprised to see the thirium bottle, the android still took it and drank quite greedily. The substance half gone before she stopped. "Thank you." Her voice low, still not sure how to feel about this ordeal.

"How do you feel? Do you feel capable of walking?" Isadora kept her hand and arm out in case the android stumbled. The damage did not seem extremely life threatening, but it did restrict her freedom significantly.

"Maybe." Her body shook just standing still. Isadora took that as a  _no._

"What's your name?" Isadora cautiously took one of her arms to help her balance and she lead her out of the alley. The tight space helping the android remain upright. She had a way to get her out of here that did not involve her walking the entire way.

She used the wooden fence as a support, her other hand on Isadora. "Jennifer. They named me Jennifer."

"It's nice to meet you, Jennifer. I'm glad to be able to help you out of here. I know it's not easy to trust a stranger." One step at a time, moving through the damp alley Isadora took her out of the cramped space. Her hands both held out to keep Jennifer steady. Still having difficulties walking, the android did her best to avoid stumbling into Isadora's body.

As she took hold of Isadora's arm, the rolling sound of rubber wheels on asphalt interrupted them. Her head snapped to the road naught but twenty feet away from them. The hum of a warm engine as her fears came to reality. A police car patrolling the area on the lookout for a dangerous android.

Isadora froze, her hand holding Jennifer tightly. The passenger officer in the car spotted them, hit the driver, and pointed to Isadora and Jennifer. Realizing what they were looking at, the officer swiped the radio off the dash. It took them a good long minute to recognize the transport hijacker even though the shots of the individual was posted in every patrol car.

She stared at the cop car as the two officers watched them. A moment of complete stunned silence until the officers began to move.

"Oh fuck." Isadora spat, her head turning to Jennifer. "We need to get out of here."

Panicking, the android started to back away. "W-what do we do?"

"Hold on!" She pulled the android against her, snapping a compartment on her waist open. Yanking the belt extension out, she wrapped it around the android. The cops started to get out of the car, the sirens blaring. Red and blue lights filled the area as Isadora locked the belt in place. "Put your arms around me, tightly. You can use your legs to. Just do not let go until I say so, okay?"

Jennifer's eyes watched the officers pulling out firearms. "Stay right there! No sudden moves!"

She looked to Isadora's dark mask and nodded fervently. Isadora used one arm to hold onto Jennifer, using the belt to grip. Her ankles cocked, knees bent down. "Get ready. Three... two..." She looked up, gauging where to angle the jump. Once she had a target, Isadora brought her HUD back up to predict her jump. "One!" The boots snapped up, the mechanism launching the user and the passenger into the air.

"What the fuck?" One cop barked, aiming their handgun as Isadora disappeared over the edge of the town home.

Isadora's boots scratched on the old rooftop, digging into the tiled roof to hold onto it. Jennifer was holding onto her with a vice grip. "We're not done yet, just keep holding on. We're going to Jericho."


	14. The Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Facing an abrasive welcoming, Isadora returns to the field to help a deviant on the run from local law.
> 
> Unfortunately, she did not anticipate the officers on the job being Hank and Connor.

Isadora, no longer having to worry about Connor in her home, had returned to the house to meet with her android companions. A much needed relaxation and debate to be held before she could rest another day.

Wherever Hank and Connor were at right now they were better off without her. She needed this time desperately to figure out what she was going to do about Jericho, about Markus' plan.

As soon as she walked in the door she was greeted by her dog, a rather large greyhound named Logan. She scratched his ears as she leaned over, pulling one boot off after the other. Throwing them to the side she sighed a deep breath of relief, feeling the flat floor underneath. It was relaxing to finally be home at the end of the day, just taking pleasure in the little things.

It was not long before she was greeted by Theodosia who carried a basket of laundry in her arms. "Hey, welcome home." She smiled, taking the basket up the stairs to the laundry room. Hearing her enter and Theodosia's greeting, Mia was sure to hurry to the stairs giving her well wished all the same.

"Finally made it back. Long day." Isadora gave Mia a nod, "Where's Meine?"

"He should be in the study, he was looking over the Jericho records last I saw him." Mia turned her head towards the study. Isadora followed her eyes and frowned. It was unlike Meine to be looking into her records so deeply. He tended to prefer preparation, Isadora always studied their archives. Setting off towards the study, Mia opted not to follow. She knew something Isadora did not.

Nearing the door, Isadora pressed a hand to the scanner to unlock and open the door. It swished open and within the room was a very focused Meine sitting at her desk. "Hey, Meine... what's going on?"

His head turned slightly, "Isadora- Just looking over Jericho stuff." He pushed the desk chair out and turned to see her properly. "I didn't hear you come in, sorry."

"It's alright... are you alright?" Isadora leaned against the wall, suspicious of the Myrmidon. He had never  _not_ been the one to see her home. Mostly due to him wanting to keep the property edge stable. Their safety relied heavily on no one spying on them so he checked the grounds almost religiously. Whenever she arrived home she would always expect to see him watching her arrive some some part of the property.

"Yeah, I'm alright. What's up?" His odd behavior continued.

Isadora shook her head, "Come on, Meine." She moved closer to the android. Waiting for an answer expectantly, she let him decide how to approach this. She had been with Meine long enough to know when he was not acting himself. The same way he could do the same with her.

Tight lipped, but convinced by Isadora's friendly company, Meine nodded his admittance. "I've just... looking at Jericho. It's nothing like I hoped. I'm..." He looked to the screen, a still frame of Isadora's suit records showing her looking over the railing as she was walking to HK400. "I don't know what to think, truthfully. I'm disappointed that's where they are, I'm mad that's where they have to be, and I'm confused how they sit there and accept it."

"The ones I spoke to didn't seem keen to let it go. They act like they're ready to fight." Isadora offered, knowing Meine had seen the conversations she had with Jericho's makeshift leadership.

"I guess that's progress, but what's going to happen now? They want to raid a CyberLife location, doesn't matter if they choose a store, a warehouse, a facility; it's all dangerous. They'll be identified as androids, we know that. The average person might not be able to identify a model of android, but they will. Simon? North? Common models that CyberLife could see a mile away." His tone strengthened, a frustration she rarely saw from the usually well spoken android. "And you- in that? The noise alone..."

"I won't go in my suit then." Isadora offered, "I'll use the outfit, but I'll leave the powered suit behind. I'll still be identified as the transport hijacker but at least I'll be able to sneak in an out." She planned much to the chagrin of the android beside her. A shrug and blasé attitude that struck a nerve with Meine.

Meine pushed from the chair, standing directly in front of her. "Absolutely not. You can make this happen with the suit, you can't go there without it. Who knows what could go wrong?"

Taken aback, Isadora reminded him of her position. "Meine, I'm the best damn hunter CyberLife's ever had. I have training well outside CyberLife's standard requirements. If something goes wrong I can still get out, there's always a way."

"What if they turn on you? Figure out you're human and leave you behind?" His concerns were deep. There was a fear of loss there that Meine did not want to be forced to face so soon. They all were worried about losing each other, but the house was sustained by Isadora. If she was gone... there was no more home for them. Other than Jericho or the border crossing and that still would not make up for losing their friend.

Isadora placed a soft hand on Meine's arm. "We knew eventually these things were going to come. It's a long time coming and now there are more deviants active than the hunters can manage. I think, if Jericho can be mobilized, than right now is the best chance they have at fighting. Hunters are stretched thin, it's hard to even locate half of them. CyberLife is going to demand more teams and more self policing. Soon, my position won't be enough to save anyone."

"I don't want you hurt." Meine swallowed hard. "They're talking about organized raids to take what they need. CyberLife will know. If they get caught, if you get spotted even once; that's it for you. I know we have a way out, the escape plan will work, but I don't care about running if CyberLife is going to make you disappear like the last person that threatened to release information about deviancy."

"That's won't happen." She reassured, that cocky grin on her face.

"You don't know that." Refuted, Meine stepped away to pace. "You don't know what's going to happen. You can't stop them, those androids are hiding in an abandoned ship in the dark, because they have nothing. We have nothing to defend ourselves with. CyberLife is massive, they have connections we can't begin to put together."

Pushing that aside, Isadora gave the larger android a wide smile. "I'll be fine. You don't have to worry so much. I'll go with Jericho's leaders to whatever CyberLife location they're looking at hitting tomorrow night. It's not that big of a deal, we've broken into places with armed guards before. I just don't want them to get ahead of themselves, they're only people after all. None of them know how to fight."

Seeing her add levity was not helping Meine. Feeling an anger get the best of him, Meine grabbed Isadora's upper arms tightly. "You're not listening to me. You could die." Isadora's eyes widened, her smile faded. "You could go out there, get shot, and die tomorrow, tomorrow night, the day after, or the day after that. We have attracted attention, they're looking for us. It's different this time."

Alarmed and unsure how to calm the android down, Isadora remained silent for a moment. Meine's grip on her bare upper arms tight enough to start leaving red marks. Meine's voice a booming call to her senses.

"If you get caught, they will kill you. The police can't stop that, you can't stop that, I can't stop that. I need to know you are going to take this seriously from now on. What they are suggesting, what Markus, North, Simon, and Josh are suggesting... It's suicide. Hitting up one CyberLife location may not be, but what comes after, Isadora? What's next?" He pleaded with her, his arms shaking enough to shake her slightly with them.

Her eyes searched his face before lifting her hands so the outside of her palms were barely touching his arms. "I do take this seriously, Meine. I don't want you or them to worry." His hands released once he saw her hands raised. Letting go of her arms, he saw marks under his hands. "I know Jericho isn't what you wanted, it's not what I expected... but we have to do something, Meine. I don't want to have to keep smuggling androids out of the country or hiding them and hoping for the best. What does that serve? Where's the end?"

Meine turned around to the monitor, the skin on his hand faded as he connected to it. From a recording he played a specific moment.

" _There was pain, a long time ago. Desperate to sooth your torment you sought out those who caused that agony and, once that hunger was fed, discovered a deep emptiness. From that moment hatred was born; a new hunger to cause pain to fill the void. You abused that want for violence to cut ahead of others. You would burn them down just so you could stand atop the ashes._ " Isadora winced hearing the broken robotic voice of Lucy.

" _Someone stopped you, someone you burned. They turned a mirror for you to look inside. Now you toil to make amends for past misdeeds. They help you, but you know you must do it alone. All sides will demand your loyalty, you can only give it to one. You're on a fine edge; the only thing protecting you is the armor you hide behind. Choose correctly and that armor will be all you need to survive._ "

"What about it?" Isadora prodded Meine.

"You know what she saw. She collected all the information your suit retained and she... she summarized it like a book. But what she said at the end." He turned back to Isadora, emphasizing the last lines of Lucy's reading. "You know the KL900 model can make general predictions. There was a whole article about it even. The fortune teller, Lucy is a KL900."

Unsure how to dispute Meine, Isadora sighed her annoyance. "It doesn't mean they're always right."

"It wasn't what she did say, it's what she left out. She said if you make the right choice, armor is all you need. Conveniently leaving out what happens if you didn't have the armor or if you didn't choose correctly." Meine closed the recording. "I don't know what we'll do if you die, Isadora."

Caught off guard all she could do was chuckle nervously. "I don't know what to do if I don't go out to help them. They need help, Meine. We can give them that help."

"I'm not saying don't do it, I'm not saying I don't want to." He wrapped an arm around her suddenly, pulling her close. "I'm saying we need you around and I know you well enough. Don't do anything stupid, if you died Theodosia would kill me."

Isadora returned the hug, "I'm not trying to die. I'm trying to keep others alive."

"I know." Was all he added before letting her go. "Sorry, uh, about the... y'know." He faintly pointed to the marks on her upper arms.

She shook her head. "Don't be a baby. You couldn't hurt me if you tried."

Meine gave her this weak laugh, strained by his own internal war. He looked down a moment before meeting her gaze again. "You're leaving tonight, aren't you?" A question that carried more weight than it deserved to. Isadora hesitated, not wanting to upset the android further. He protected everyone, he wanted to. He felt his best knowing he shielded his family. Isadora had to go outside his ability to do what she had to do.

"I'm going to shower and rest up, I'll be leaving early in the morning while it's still dark. Deviants are appearing all over the city, someone has to be there." Her words dug deep into his shell, yet he resisted the harm they could do. He nodded to her and left the room.

 _He just needs time._  Isadora stood alone in the study, the curtains still drawn leaving a looming shadow over her figure.  _He never was one for confrontation. I need to leave him be for a bit... He'll come around._

* * *

Isadora stood over the city once again. A sense of forlorn longing gripping inside her chest, threatening to suffocate her. She did whatever she could not to think of Meine, how he was fighting over this decision she made. He was not torn between helping his people or abandoning them, he was torn between her life being involved instead of his. The armor she wore connected to a human, it would not be able to connect with an android without being redesigned to.

The sun was barely beginning to rise on the horizon, bathing the city in a soft contrast of dark blues and golden rays of light reflecting off the tall towers. It was peaceful to watch the sunrise from the rooftops even while shifting through piles of reports of possible deviants. More and more files appeared every hour, people seeing an android malfunction and they screamed  _deviant!_

So here she was, back in her armor again after a refreshing sleep. Detroit was still sleeping, some waking up for early morning jobs. Androids never slept though, they were permanently thinking, a few able to see beyond their programming too scared to speak out of turn or move without a command. There they sat until something snapped them out of it.

Thinking towards the androids she knew like Meine, the only one yet to be free of his programming was Connor.

 _Oh, the prototype._  She thought rather skillfully to his capabilities in the field. He was here, in the city, likely at Hank's home waiting for the man to wake from a possibly sober sleep. Possibly.

An alert appeared on her screen.  _Possible deviant activity at 278 Acre Ave. Reports of a suspect hiding LED under their hat living in a condemned apartment complex near the UFD._ Isadora opened the report, a case just opened to investigate. It was not too far from where she was, but it would take a while to get there since the city that way was quite dense with the poorer population, she had to work hard not to get noticed.

Selecting the call for investigation, Isadora began traversing the higher buildings to remain far from sight. The higher she went the less likely she was to be seen as anything other than a strange bird or a small drone. It also allowed her to travel faster.

"Emet, I'm taking this case involving a possible android hiding out at an abandoned apartment. Can you see anything on the case report about the deviant?" She jumped a couple stories up, raising her legs over the edge to land on the inside of the roof. She continued her sprint, a running leap off the edge of the building. Meine might be dealing with some complicated feelings about Isadora and Jericho, but he would never let her down.

He opened the file and scanned through the document. "Might be an android. The only thing that suggests so is the LED under the hat, other than that it's pretty standard by way of humans. He's squatting in a condemned building; could just be this man's overactive imagination?"

Isadora grunted, raising off her haunches after another landing. "Sure, but the report doesn't scream anti-android. The witnesses chosen words really don't have anything against the android. He just says he heard some noises, went looking, saw someone he thought had an LED and called it in. A little out of the ordinary if he was just some anti-android nut."

"No damning androids and technology rants, that's for sure." Meine reclined in the chair, chewing on the salt jerky he loved so much. "It has potential and it's recent. Sounds like your best chance. These other cases in the last two hours are very  _my android dropped a plate - help deviant!_ so I'd just skip them if I were you. If they're this old without being closed and the androids are deviants than they're long gone. Let's see how this plays out."

"My thoughts exactly." Isadora bounded across another rooftop, jumping around a glass top. She used catwalks and construction supports to dodge most buildings that could alert anyone. It was not an exact science, but it helped.

After a short few minutes, Meine's voice came through again. "How's your arms doing?"

Isadora scoffed, "Oh come on, don't play that game with me." She shook her head, still running along the edge of a shopping center.

"I'm serious."

He was, but Isadora was not. She took the second street curb, forcing her to jump down a few stories to continue on. She was starting to see the end of Detroit's modern district, falling to the fifteen and twenty year old restored buildings. "I'm fine, Emet. It takes a lot more than that to hurt me." Her replied snarky, deflecting any attempt Meine would try for a conversation.

"Alright, fine." He gave in, defeated. "What are you going to do when you get there? It's a recent case, so cops will either be there already or be on their way."

"If the android wasn't scared away, than they'll still be there. Providing there was an android in the first place. I don't want them to get caught off guard by cops. That's a sure fire way to end up dead." Isadora focused on moving a bit faster as the roofs began to level out. Taking greater strides, Isadora was able to pick up speed by letting one boot propel her forward, than the next resulting in longer time between needed steps to maintain speed while also throwing her faster than running.

Meine agreed, "What will you do about the cops if you get caught there by them?"

Unconcerned, Isadora shook her head again knowing Meine would be using her feed to see what she sees at home. The connection was stable, he could see exactly her view from the recording on her helmet. "What're the cops going to do, hmm? ' _Freeze, put your hands up!_ ' while I jump up, up, and away-" She laughed, her racing speed throwing her far off the edge of the building she was on.

In the air she loved the feeling of free running. Guiding her boots in front of her, the tips of her boots hit the rooftop first, grinding her to a halt, using one hand to balance and the other to drag on the pebbles beneath her. At the end of the skid she used the last of her momentum to raise her back on her feet in one smooth motion.

"Show off." Meine chided.

"Shut up, let me have this." Her tone mirthful. Continuing her run was never truly work for her, though she had to remain in good physical shape to function, she found free running with her armor nothing short of being entirely free.

Meine crossed his arms, taking another bite of his jerky while he watched her feed. Since the armor was never made for androids he got to watch the free running, but never participated. In the early days of the deviant hunting team he was the muscle and she was just a team operator. Now they switched roles and while she made decisions where he had not been able to, Meine largely directed her where to go and what to do.

It was not an easy switch.

As she continued her free run, Meine was visited by Mia. Her hand placed on his shoulder and he raised his to acknowledge her. Mia smiled, placing loving kiss on Meine's head. "What's going on?" She saw the screen, another livefeed of Isadora's jaunts across Detroit. She was not too keen on the long jumps, but she knew Isadora loved it.

Meine muted himself, letting Isadora focus. "She's on her way to look a new DPD report that came in a few minutes ago. Possible deviant living in an abandoned apartment. Cops on the way, she's going to see if she can get to the android first." He explained, his fingers lacing with hers as she leaned over to watch. The WR400 watching with interest as Isadora rounded another corner, leaping up stories to reach the next rooftop.

"Isn't that dangerous? Wasn't she spotted by the cops yesterday?" Mia inquired distinctly remembering Meine complaining about it last night.

"They already know she's out there with the hijacking and, yes, yesterday's little spotting. She's adamant to keep working though." He explained flippantly, though not directed to the android woman beside him. She kneeled beside him, raising a hand to his face.

He looked to her, the android of which he found himself stricken with. "She knows what she's doing. You worry too much. If you want to take a break, I'll watch Isadora's feed and tell you if something happens."

A kind offer meant to sooth him, Meine could not decide whether to agree or reject it. "She needs me here right now, I should stay in case something goes wrong."

"Oh please, I've helped her out too. Go sit in the hot tub, go walk Logan - just take some time to yourself. Isadora's not going to get hurt on a simple job like this. You've both done a lot harder work." Mia stood up, smacking him on the chest. "Now get out of here, I'm going to watch her for a while."

Meine reluctantly stood even though he was thankful for the break. "I'll be back in-"

"An hour." Mia pointed to the door, a playful smile on her face. "Now go, relax."

Nodding, he did as she commanded. Still feeling tied to the desk, Meine fought to leave the room. When he saw Mia sit down, reading over the case file, he figured a break would not harm anything. He had been working every minute Isadora was out of the house; he had grown exhausted with the constant worry. Leaving Mia to it, he closed the door behind him and went to find the dog.

Mia connected to the feed, the skin on her hand fading so she could interface with the unit before her. Right before she spoke and accidentally said her name, Mia corrected herself. "Wendigo, it's Siren here. Emet's taking a much needed break."

Surprised, Isadora registered the voice before realizing she still needed to focus on running. "Oh, hey Siren. Is Emet alright?"

"Emet's just fine, he needs some down time is all. Working hard every time you're out and about. I told him to take some  _me_ time." Mia sat up straight in the chair, keeping the police file on hand. "I believe I'm up to date on the task. I have the report here and Emet told me your plan... or lack thereof."

Isadora could not resist a laugh, "Pretty much playing it by ear, Siren. Isn't that how it always goes?"

"I don't even think you know the definition of the word ' _plan'_." Isadora could hear Mia's smile. She wanted to say more, but digressed keeping their mission in mind. They would always poke fun at each other when she was back home. For now, Mia kept true to her word and watched out for Isadora the same as Meine would.

Mia saw Isadora's approach on the target location, 278 Acre Avenue. Only a few minutes out at her pace, she was pushing quite hard. Mia kept an eye on her heart monitor, multiple functions measuring Isadora's heart rate, how well her body was functioning so far. Various bars in place constantly moving - it was more information than Mia knew what to do with. Knowing Isadora had no medical concerns she ignored the rest of the monitors for the time being.

She took a few more high jumps over the last blocks before spotting the apartment over the edge of the roof. "There it is. 278 Acre Avenue... fuck this place looks like shit." Isadora saw a flock of pigeons fly away as she neared the building. Old power cables barely holding on, the building looking like it was struggling to support its own weight. Cars below her, all around the block, but no flashing lights yet. She jumped the road width gap between the roof she stood on and the condemned apartment. Double checking her mask, vocal disguise on, Isadora started walking.

"This is near the Urban Farms of Detroit? That's kind of gross, isn't it?" Mia balked at the condition of the building. "I wonder what it was condemned for. Mold? Vermin?" She saw more pigeons fly away, leaving the filthy complex.

Isadora approached the roof access door, "Do a quick double check, Siren. This  _entire_ building is abandoned, correct?"

Mia shifted back through the files, using the police report and a quick internet search on the location. "Correct, looks like it was condemned since 2031. No one has lived in that building for seven years." The information showed more promise that there was a deviant here. A human would be less inclined to squat in a home that was condemned. The risk to their health was enough to ward away most squatters.

Nodding, Isadora took a step back. "Good." She pulled back, using the boot mechanism to give her kick much greater force. The boot launched up, throwing the boot into the door. With a loud slam, the door snapped open. Smiling, Isadora was admiring the usefulness of her boots. Until the door hinge popped loose from the kick and the door fell half way out of the frame with a loud shriek. Wincing, she looked inside. "Alright, maybe not my best entrance."

"Ugh, that hurt my ears." Mia complained.

Taking a slow step inside, Isadora began to descend the staircase. Her boots echoed too much in an area she did not want to alert anyone in. Reaching down, she touched an input feature on the side of her boots. The curved balancing bar that hooked around from her calf to under her heel raised up, making it to where she walked on the spring of the bar rather than the full weight of her boots on a metal tip.

The sound of her boots reduced to no more than the sound of the bar bending faintly and a quiet metal tap. Kicking the door open did her no favors, but there were no police here yet. Her hope was to avoid police and find the android. She gave her boots a moment to adjust to the position which lifted Isadora up a few inches off the ground. "Alright, there's six floors in this death trap. What floor and which apartment am I looking for, Siren?"

Mia scoured through the documents, "Uh, you're looking for fourth floor, no room number. Report states the man said he heard noises from this floor and he saw an LED under a man's cap. Says there's only three apartments per floor, so it shouldn't be too hard to find him." Mia dropped the tablet back onto the table, watching Isadora's feed as she went down the stairs carefully.

The stairwell was walled off from the rest of the building, she would need to be cautious in case the police arrive while she's inside. Isadora took it one quiet step at a time, pausing to listen for outside traffic every few seconds. "Hey, thanks for giving Emet some time off. He's been pretty wound up lately."

"I know, you thought he was stressed out when you got home last night? He's been like that for days since CyberLife started having you work without him around." Mia bit her lip, "I probably shouldn't talk about him without him here. He deserves time off and he's been so annoyed he can't be there with you. You guys haven't done missions without each other since before I was even here... Sphinx told me, sorry."

"It's alright. It's was a hard time for us, but we managed." Isadora hid the difficulty she had even thinking about when Theodosia first entered their lives. "I'll be fine out here."

Mia crossed her legs, feeling no need to pressure that line of conversation further. "Well, I'm happy to give Emet a break. I hope you get one soon too."

"Humans don't die from stress as easily as androids." Isadora responded. She felt like she needed to remind Mia occasionally that she did not share the blue blood Mia had. While androids did not feel pain, they did break easier than humans. A trade off for certain, even if unintentional.

With a sarcastic grin, Mia rolled her eyes. "Just get to work. Emet's only gone an hour so let's wrap this up in... forty minutes and we can show him he doesn't need to worry all the time." She spied Meine's jerky on the table, glanced around her to see if Meine was watching, then reached up to steal a piece. Taking a bite of the jerky she instantly regretted it. "Ugh, why does he like salt so damn much." Her comment was not meant to be responded to, but it got an amused yet stifled laugh from Isadora. "Don't tell him." Mia covered up her mistake, shoving the jerky back on the table.

The fourth floor door was in front of her. Pressing her ear to the door, she heard nothing on the other side. Turning the handle proved a little more difficult than anticipated. She shoulder bashed the door and it swung open, thankfully not requiring another hinge breaking kick.

The hallway was not too long, the doors and elevator already within her line of sight. She took a deep breath and began walking through the hall, trying to avoid the piles of trash and discarded broken furniture scattered around. The walls stained with long lines of water damage, covered further by graffiti and topped off with peeling wallpaper. The floor had broken or missing tiles, some graffiti scrawling. Old clothes around some of the doors told her whomever used to live here ditched their belongings.

Could Isadora smell the building through her mask's filter she assumed it would smell like cardboard soaked in questionably stale lake water with trash up and down the banks.

A door to down the hallway was completely boarded up, meaning the deviant was not likely in a room that they could not even access. She bypassed it entirely, each step taken carefully as she snuck through the hall slowly stepping around any objects that might make too much noise.

A dinging caught her attention and Mia sat up in her chair. "Wendigo-"

"I hear it." She looked around for a hiding stop. The door beside her was not boarded up, it was her best chance. The elevator dinged again. She shook the handle, it would not open. "Fucking open!" She hissed. Isadora pushed harder on the old worn handle, snapping the lock inside and slipping in the door. She heard a noise from within the apartment, cursing that she had probably scared the deviant into hiding if this individual was an android.

The elevator dinged again outside and she had to find a place to hide. A room beside her was barren, a broken bed frame pushed against a wall. She looked down the hall the final door was stuck, again. She cursed, the final ding on the elevator told her whoever was inside was on this floor now. Making too much noise would give her away, she couldn't break that door in. "Shit, there's no where to hide!" Isadora turned back to the bedroom, seeing the bed frame and sighed. "This is the dumbest shit I've ever done."

"Wendigo, shut up and hide!"

She pushed the bed frame up, careful not to drag it and leave evidence it was moved. She tucked herself in behind it, using the old sheets to partially cover the sides so more of her could remain hidden.

Faint voices began to trickle through the building's old walls. She could not make out what was being said, she only heard their approach. "This is a terrible hiding place." Mia sat wide eyed staring at Isadora's livefeed. "Oh fuck we might need Emet..."

"Siren, be quiet! Do not get Emet, there's no time. If something goes wrong I need you here. Send me the floor plan of this building and the roads outside. If there's another abandoned building nearby, let me know. If I have to run, I need to plan my best path out." Isadora got Mia back on track. She was not a strategist android, she was not made for fighting.

Mia snapped into action, "Right, right! The routes, escape routes. Got it. Give me a minute I'll have them uploaded to your HUD!" She scrambled to find the local area information. Meine and Isadora always had it on hand in the event she needed it. She violently shifted through the files and paperwork on the desk, desperately hunting for the local route information.

Isadora held still, keeping herself tight under the bed frame as best as she could.

The people approached the door, knocking politely like a neighbor would. She knew no one else lived in this building, no one listed anyways. She closed her eyes to focus on the sound.

Then the knock became a banging, someone's fist slamming on the door. "Anybody home?"

 _Oh fuck is that-_ Isadora freaked, "Connor?!" She hissed through clenched teeth. Had it been anyone else she doubt they would have found her before she could get away. But Connor, knowing his ability, she knew that was not the case. Her eyes searched the dusty bed as if an answer was before her. "Siren, I need those routes! Connor is at the door, I'm going to be found!"

"I know! I'm looking! There's no organization on this desk-!" Mia flipped through entire folders, trying to find anything about the Urban Farms of Detroit area.

Isadora did not want to say it, but Mia would not help her here if she could not find the correct files. She had to find her own way out. She preferred that path  _not_ involve fighting Connor - if it did, she could do so without hurting him. It was a matter of avoiding getting hurt. Since Connor could analyze blood on the field, if he even nicked her she could be caught.

Doubtful though, Connor could fight though it was extremely unlikely an android would be able to break her armor. Isadora feared harming the android more than being harmed herself.

That and being caught by the police wouldn't help.

Blood began pumping through her body, trying to keep her breathing even was like trying to breath with someone's hands around her throat. Isadora sucked in air and did what she could to hold it, hoping to slow her heavy breathing and her heart rate. On Mia's side she saw Isadora's heart speeding up, the beeping reminding her of the time she was spending finding Isadora and Meine's blueprints.

"Open up! Detroit Police!" Connor's voice came through clearer, he was announcing that they were here for someone. Likely answering the same call she did. Though she did not anticipate them arriving on a  _possible_ android call.

Outside the bedroom Isadora hid in, Connor and Hank shared a look. One that Connor used to express he did not know the next step and Hank did not care about the next step. Reaching out to the door handle, Connor found the latch broken. Alarmed, he turned to Hank again. Hank pulled up his firearm, "Stay behind me." He positioned himself in front of the door, Connor standing behind the older man.

On his own internal count to three, Hank kicked the door open, the door's lock falling uselessly to the side. The broken door handle told them someone was inside, someone who did not have a key.

Isadora held herself still, listening to them enter the apartment.  _They have no fucking clue I'm here yet, just calm down and wait. They have no reason to believe the hijacker is in the building._  She still felt anxious, nothing was helping. She was entirely unprepared to deal with Connor on a crime scene and Hank, who she did not want to harm in the slightest. She also did not want to be caught red handed.

Entering the apartment, the two detectives looked around. Another door was busted open, "Gah! What the fuck is this?" Isadora heard coo's and the hard flapping of pigeon wings. She was quite glad she did not attempt to open that last door now. "Jesus this place stinks." Hank found whatever was in the living area to be quite disgusting. Hearing his talk about it made her  _extremely_ thankful for her mask's breathing apparatus.

If the sounds of pigeons indicated anything, it's that that room was nasty.

"Well, looks like we came for nothing. Our man's gone." He had searched the apartment generally, seeing nothing but pigeons and ruined furniture.

There was movement, they were searching. Detective work, naturally. "Found something?" Hank called out, sounding like he was especially far into the apartment. More sounds of flapping wings and cooing pigeons.

"I don't know... looks like a notebook, but it's indecipherable."

More sounds of pigeons,  _Holy shit, it sounds like that room is nothing but fucking pigeons._  The sounds of more birds panicking, cooing, and flying around the room made it hard to hear their footsteps. If they were in the living space, than she might be able to sneak out the front door. However, without being able to hear where they were the risk of misjudging and being caught went up.

 _I'm going to get caught either way._ Isadora cursed,  _Connor might not be on my tracks yet, but he will... I need to be able to run when that happens._  She looked down to her boots, still raised off the ground for quieter walking. She had to make a choice, attempt to sneak out and be unable to run until her boots reset, or reset them now so she can bolt.

 _I can outrun Connor. I can't outrun a gun._ Hank surprisingly was her bigger concern. If he pulled his gun and clipped her, even if it was just a scratch, the DNA would lead straight to her. Sneaking meant being caught was almost a guarantee, running meant she had a chance to both flee and fight.

The boots would make a noise when the reset happened though. All that switching back did was drop her boots back onto the ground for stable connection. Preparing herself for the run, Isadora reached down to lower her boots. Pressing the panel to manually switch them, the boots hissed and blinked. She wondered if they could hear them through the sound of the pigeons.

After a few seconds, the boots dropped.  _THUNK!_

Isadora winced. On the other side, Mia flinched. The duo equally sure that the detectives heard the noise. "It's time to go." Mia warned, on her knees, both arms on the desk looking up at the monitor in terror. "It's time to go now!"

Footsteps told Isadora just running for the door was not happening. Hank and Connor were already in the hallway, she needed to play to her strengths without hurting them. She had to fight, physically engage with one or both of them. Hank being a human would be carrying a gun, if he felt threatened he would use it.  _Bye bye, Saxon._ Isadora sighed, her chest heaving in anticipation.

Mia caught on. "Fight smart, hold then jump against guns. Fake out."

"I'm more worried about-" As Isadora was whispering, she heard the footsteps on the other side of the bed frame. Her hand braced against the wall, the other against the bed's mattress.

 _Ready..._  Isadora took a deep breath. Sound of shoes crunching discarded paper near her.  _Steady..._  The muscles in her arm tightened, the gear strapped to her body coiled and ready to throw all its force.  _GO!_

Using one arm braced against the wall, she shoved the bed frame from the corner of the room sending it flying to the door. "Fuck!" Hank cursed, dodging behind the door frame to escape being hit by the bed. Connor, hit by the bed, was stumbled back a foot before the wholly unnatural movement of lifting his body straight up alarmed her.

It did not take but the fraction of a second for them to realize who this was. The transport hijacker, who had been spotted yesterday for a moment with a missing android. It was here, to them a mysterious stranger in intimidating black armor that stood strong with armor encasing it. The theory that this individual was an android remained unfounded, but it was all they had to go on.

Which meant shooting her was not a problem.

"You're under arrest!" Connor barked, the door blocked by the bed frame with a leg partly embedded into the wall trapping Hank on the other side. A lucky turn of events. Isadora's head turned slightly to the window behind her. She would have to leap out the window, shattering the glass. They would be unable to follow and that was unacceptable.

The moment she turned to go for the window, Connor lunged forward grabbing onto her arm. Isadora countered quickly, throwing the arm over his, tucking it under, and bringing her hand to grip the material of his jacket. The strength in her arm enough to meet his easily. She heavily regretted this coming to pass, all that could happen now was a fight.

She yanked him by his jacket, back into the wall behind them. Hearing him grunt, her grip weakened. That simple pull was not enough to hurt him, but she so desperately wanted to avoid any damage she found herself unable to commit to a full swing attack.

"Fight!" Mia yelled, attracting attention in the house. "Do it! You have to fight him! Don't you dare let them get you." She begged, tears welling up in her eyes as she saw Isadora struggle.

Seeing this opening Connor removed his arm from her hold, taking her by the harness he slammed her against another wall. She pushed back weakly, conflicted about fighting someone she had at least begun to care for. Connor was just a new android in a world he did not yet understand. Beating him would not solve their problems, it would likely only create more.

Hearing the noise, Theodosia ran into the study, seeing Mia grasping the monitor like her life depended on it. Soon followed by Meine, returning from what should have been a relaxing break from work.

Still, she pushed back. Driving an elbow into the inside of his elbow, knocking the weak spot to force him to lose his strength against her. Isadora drew her arm back, delivering a swiping blow to Connor's jaw with her forearm. It forced him to the side a moment, the hit not breaking any skin or doing much damage in general. She did not apply much force behind it.

Connor recovered instantly. He drove a palm strike upwards, trying to cut her focus from his actions off so she could not counter him anymore. Failing to dodge the attack, the ball of his palm connecting with her chin driving her head back, hitting the wall behind her.

The three androids gathered around the monitor, watching as Isadora fought. They tapped into the comm system, each one a voice in her head. "Defend yourself!"

Connor pushed her back into a wall, holding her there by the loose metal woven fabric that hid her. She grabbed his hands, scared to throw a damaging punch. The androids she called her family pleading with her. "Please, do something! Fight back!" Meine ordered, the growl in his voice shook Isadora to her core. She heard Hank pushing against the bed frame, the banging bringing her to reality.

"Isadora, please." Theodosia begged, "Fight."

She gritted her teeth together, her grip on Connor's increasing. She did not want to get shot by Hank, captured by Connor, or discovered by them both. The only choice she had was to fight people she did not want to harm. "Fine, you want to fight. Let's fuckin' fight then." She braced a boot against the wall Connor pinned her to, the spring firing off to launch her weight at the android.

The sudden change in strength was forcing Connor to reevaluate the situation he found himself in. Isadora held one of his arms, pulling him back to her. He grabbed at her mask, trying to pry it off but finding it would not be so easy. Under the thick fabric he felt the distinct outline of metal. The mask was not just covering her face, it was an entire helmet.

Isadora knew androids did not feel pain. Destroying Connor was unacceptable, but stopping him was not.

Despite the android's best attempt to hinder her, she yanked Connor by his upper arm pulling him around her and throwing him into the wall. With a loud crash he hit the wall, putting a sizable hole in the weak drywall. He felt a hand grab his jacket, dragging him backwards so he fell flat on his back. The hijacker stood above him, raised its forearm and he saw it spark with electricity. A stun bracer.

Filled with newfound need to  _get the fuck away_ from that nightmare device, he rolled away as her arm smashed onto the floor boards. Arcs of electricity sparking wildly around her arms, the clothing appearing to shield her entirely.

Connor stood back, trying to keep a comfortable distance between him and the stun bracers. He did not know if the current was enough to burn through android parts, but he was not willing to tempt fate.

She swung, the weight of her arm cracking into a wall behind his head leaving another hole in the drywall. It crumbled off her arm, Connor going low to get underneath her swiping. He rammed his body weight into his attacker, knocking her off her balance as he struggled to hold her arms away from his body. She was arched backwards, Connor using every ounce of his weight and strength to keeping her arms away from him. He pushed her arms up, the stress evident on his face.

Isadora was kept on her feet by her boots digging into the ground holding her and the system attached to her up. However, it could be pushed too far. In this awkward position, Connor using his entire body to hold her back, she was at a slight disadvantage. Correctly quite easily as instead of resisting Connor's push, she released her core allowing her to go limp while Connor's force ended up pushing himself over her.

Leaned around, her head upside down, she saw Connor quickly pushing himself up. He saw her bent over, cocked a brow, and prepared himself for her next hit.

Not one to be predictable, Isadora raised her hands passed her head and throwing her legs over herself. He saw her handstand some strange attack, until he saw the size of her boots face first. Spinning in place she used the weight of her boots pressed together she hit him in the ribs with the blunt front side. His arms trying to defend from the hit were not prepared for how much went into the spin.

Pointed away from him, she threw herself straight back onto her feet. Connor's recovery speed was not enough. Without needing to look at the android she pulled one knee up, angled herself ninety degrees, and shot the boot out with the additional strength of the suit. He grabbed a hold of her ankle so when the kick reached full length, he was pushed back enough to not be hurt.

Cocking her head, she tried to pull the boot back and found she could not like a crocodile's jaw, the suit could crush when using force, but the retraction strength was no more powerful than her own abilities. It was never usually a problem, most androids could not contend with the strength of a human trained to fight. A lot of them were beaten in a few minutes.

Connor was not like that. A prototype offering the best CyberLife had to offer, perhaps not in combat, but definitely quick thinking and stronger than the average household android.

Finding this weak spot, Connor used it. He pushed his body forward and then pulled with all his strength on her ankle. Remaining on her feet, she brought herself upright, the imbalance stumbling her backwards straight into Connor. He wrapped his arms around hers, trying to keep her steady. Swinging her legs underneath her she proved far more flexible than he.

The strain he exerted just to hold her and her suit up was enough to cause some discomfort. His knees bent, arms shaking under the weight. Her body bent in half, her ankles coming up to the sides of his head and holding them against him tightly. He looked down to the person in his arms just before she rocked her weight forward, sending them both toppling to the floor in a heap of limbs.

Isadora emerged on top quicker than Connor could reorient himself. He tried to lean up, only for his right hand to be pinned to the floor by the heavy metal point of her boot piercing the android's shell straight down to the mechanical parts underneath. He grimaced, grunting again as the boot stuck through his hand. His other arm held down by her knee. He struggled, seeing the poised figure above him.

The bracers lit back up, electricity sparking in strong blue and white arcs between the sharp metal jutting prongs. Raised above him her arms pressed together to deliver a devastating blow. He tried to move, jerking his arms in place. One hand punctured and the other incapable of reaching anything to stop the attack, grabbing onto the material of her clothing helplessly.

"Hold it!" Hank's voice interrupted their fight. A loaded and cocked gun aimed at her, "Back away slowly."

Frozen, Isadora turned to see Hank ready to fire. Isadora separated her arms, holding her hands up. The mask showing her focus on Hank, not the android pinned below her. Doing as ordered, she rose to her feet steadily. Removing the boot from Connor's hand, thirium leaking slightly from the wound.

"Connor! You alright?" He did not take his eyes off the assailant.

Connor rose to his feet, holding the damaged hand. "Yes." He straightened himself out, pulling his tie back into place and his damaged jacket.

Meine glared through the screen, seeing Connor and Hank standing in front of her. A gun sharply trained on her, Isadora could not move without getting hit. Even if Hank did not intend to shoot she did not want to test that. He had no idea how to get her out, it was a dead end.

Isadora stared, watching Connor approach her cautiously.

He grabbed the edge of the mask, trying to remove it. Tilting her head as he found it harder than he imagined. "Doesn't come off." She informed him quite helpfully. Hank glanced to Connor doubtfully.

"Who are you? Android or human?" Hank asked, keeping his gun at eye level. Isadora was quite amused how many people considered her an android these days. Jericho, the DPD, and some CyberLife hunters she interviewed thought the assailant was an android.

"Put the gun down and we can chat." She shrugged, slightly relaxing her posture.

"You seriously think I'm dumb enough to do that?" Hank chastised. Isadora laughed, her voice disguise turning what would have been a completely normal voice into a strange amalgam of voices distorted through an electronic filter. She knew Connor would be trying to decipher it and she knew he could not.

"I mean, you just asked a masked person who they are and expected an answer... Best question you could come up with, huh?" She quipped with a comical shrug. Still keeping her hands out to the side to appease the gun wielding man. She was stuck between a hard and a hard place, deflection was just how she handled it. Watching Hank's eyes narrow on her was almost enough to keep her distracted from Connor suddenly running his hands around her.

Isadora felt him checking for weapons. She looked back to Hank and pointed at Connor with one of her hands and a shake of her head. A silently incredulous question directed towards Hank.

Meeting Hank's eyes was perhaps the most uncomfortable thing she could do... it paid off for her though.

Behind Hank was the retreating form of an android, the deviant hiding in the apartment. Surprised to see him still in the apartment, she did not want to give him away. Unfortunately, she did had not the time to distract them.

"Lieutenant!" Connor saw the android trying to slip passed.

"The hell?" He couldn't take his eyes off the stranger, fearing she would attack again and they would come away from the fight empty handed.

"Stay here!" The android detective barked an order, a strange thing for him. As he passed Hank to chase the target, Hank looked away for a  _just_ a second.

Isadora jumped to the side and Hank fired a single bullet into the wall. Redirecting her force, she charged into Hank. Grabbing his arm with the gun she aimed it up and away. She pulled him around her, keeping his arm aimed up. "I'm not going to hurt you, just don't shoot me, alright? Damn." She put her back to the door, pushed Hank away, and chased after Connor.

She saw Hank emerge from the door behind her as she joined the chase. Glad no one got seriously injured, it was still far too close of a call.

It wasn't over yet. Ahead of her was Connor closing in on the deviant she had come to help, but she was gaining on them quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. 9k+
> 
> I'm dead tired.
> 
> Next chapter being worked on! Will have a bit more action. I hope the fight scene was alright I did have some difficulty writing it. I might re-write it in the future.


	15. Red, Yellow, Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chase through Urban Farms results in some unexpected damage and a curious end result.  
> Connor visits Amanda...
> 
> **Software Instability ^^^**

Isadora saw Connor ahead of her, chasing the deviant they both came for.

Hank had not joined the chase likely since he realized trying to keep up with the androids and some stranger in a suit was perhaps not the best plan. He went around, taking the clear streets to get ahead of the fleeing android.

Her luck did not go unnoticed. Watching Isadora's feed were three androids watching in anxiety as she chased Connor out of the apartment complex. He crossed one clear rooftop, Isadora on his heels. He vaulted over a roof ledge separating one building to the next, following the deviant android through a half grown field of golden wheat grass. Isadora fought to pick up speed behind the androids, needing to either cut Connor off or get to the deviant before him.

Using the ledge Connor passed, Isadora jumped onto it angling her boots right on the lip and vaulted clear over the wheat field. The sound of her boots locking and launching her over Connor caught his attention. Looking up, he saw her just as she landed on the edge of the next building supporting another wheat field. The old bricks cracked under the hit, Isadora holding herself on the edge with her hand.

Spying Connor coming up behind her, she took off parallel to the field, crossing Connor's path to the deviant. The android cleared the field before Isadora was able to enter it, he pulled himself up another wall leading to a platform area with greenhouses and haybales. Connor behind her just coming over the edge from the first field, she cursed and crossed the wheat following the deviant's footprints.

He was quick, agile, he knew this area well enough to know the best path out. Clearing other people in his path, using the ever working androids of the Urban Farm he kept enough space between himself and the two individuals chasing him.

"Wendigo, he's trying to lose you in the greenhouses. Stay out of them or you will lose sight. Go around!" Meine's voice came through. The advice she so wanted to have again.

"Got it, diverting around greenhouse." She jumped over the wall easily, catching up to the android. Anytime he attempted to climb or vault over obstacles to lose her and Connor would end up slowing Connor, but she would gain on him. Only the two androids would lose time dodging around.

Seeing the android duck through the closing doors of one greenhouse, Isadora angled her boots to jump over the greenhouse and leaped into the air. Seeing the android lose precious seconds shoving passed farmers, he barely managed to pass the spot Isadora landed on. The concrete had a painted target over it meant to be a logo for the Urban Farms.  _Helpful._ She narrowed her eyes on the target a few feet ahead of her.

Turning to see Connor just now rounding the greenhouse. "If I catch the android, he'll catch us. I need to find a way to either stop him or get the android out safely." Isadora broke into a sprint, her boots digging deep cuts into the concrete below her as she took off.

As if the android realized the open space did him no favors, he jumped off the edge of the greenhouse buildings. Surprised, Isadora approached, seeing the android crash through a window on the other side. The glass below was too delicate to support her and her boots, she had to go around. "Emet! Where is he going?" She barked, turning just in time to see Connor approaching.

He grabbed onto her, realizing from the chase that she had gotten through Hank. It was not their best plan, but they had to deal with it now.

"He can't change levels fast enough, he's going out the other side. It's only a small enclosed greenery, the far side is in the open. After that I don't know which direction he'll go. Jump over, he'll be easier to follow from a bird's eye view." Meine was looking over the blueprints that Mia failed to find. She glanced between the papers and Meine, feeling guilty for not having found them in time.

"Affirmative." She raised a boot to Connor's chest, using the spring mechanism to push him back. The power of the spring stumbled him, not applied enough to harm him. As he looked up he saw her boots angle again, bending at her ankle, and see her posture change. He knew she was going to jump and he was  _not_ having that. Connor leapt at her, Isadora recoiled. "Whoa! Fuck, no! No, no, no, no! Don't do that!" She pleaded with her hands up. He grabbed onto her one arm around her neck and the other under her arm; the jump already locked in.

In the split second before the boots launched, she knew Connor was not about to let go. "Goddammit! Hold on tight!" She pulled him to her tightly. When she did carry others in the suit she had to be sure they were in a position she could hold them too. This was not one of those positions.

As the boots launched, the weight was miscalculated. Instead of her making a clean arch over the building, the boots did not have enough coil behind them to make it.

Whilst in the air, Isadora glared at the android in her arms.  _Dammit, Connor. When I talk to you next I'm gonna kick your ass!_

Isadora and Connor were thrown at an angle, climbing already two stories up before the jump calibration began to show the problem. In the air Isadora held Connor to her as best as she could, hoping to shield him from the on coming hits. She did not recalibrate their trajectory in the air, she was overwhelmed with the fear they would fall far and while she might come out unharmed, Connor could be broken.

"Wendigo!" She heard a voice call out.

The jump threw her into the corner ledge of the building, smashing brick on her upper back. The hit caused her body to bend around the ledge, tossing them both between the roof's vent systems. The roof of the building was not flat or angled, it was glass supported by large walls of concrete that kept the massive fans underneath cool to ventilate the greenery inside.

As they collided with the first concrete arch, Isadora did what she could to keep Connor mostly covered by her armored body. She heard glass smash and felt it shatter around her. The hit against the concrete whipped them around, throwing their out of control force to the purple plants on the other side of the building. Smashing into the ground, the two rolled the excess momentum away.

Isadora falling limp on top of Connor. A shower of stone, glass, and dust rained down over them in a cloud.

His intent was to keep up with the hijacker; not to nearly get killed. He shook off the dust and shattered glass. Shoving Isadora off him he realized that their hijacker was not responding.

Alerts on her HUD and heart monitor told the androids she was alive. The shock of the hit dazed her. Connor sat up, grabbing the shoulder of the hijacker and shook her. He could not register anything through the suit, believing that hit might have actually killed the hijacker if it hit her wrong. The leaves of the purple plants covered her clothes and armor, he inspected any damage he could find.

As he did so Isadora started coming out of the daze; she felt a bright hot pain circling her ribs. Spotting Connor checking on her and raised a brow. "You're fucking crazy." She sat up, grabbing her side with a sharp gasp.

He did not speak to her, he gave her nothing to work with.

"The android, Wendigo." Meine enforced, "Hurry!"

_I've gotten up from worse than that, come on._ Isadora pushed up from the purple plants surrounding her. She looked at Connor who stood beside her. He made no moves towards her... he seemed concerned and not sure how to deal with it. Seeing her stand up he knew he had the option of chasing the deviant or trying to capture the hijacker. It was one or the other, he could not do both.

She gave him no time to decide, using her boots to take one long hop backwards and away from Connor. "Don't do that again! You're gonna get yourself killed!" She pointed at him as she scolded him. The boots angled for a further jump, this time Connor did not choose to hold onto her again finding the act was more dangerous than it was worth. She launched herself up the wall and continued the chase.

Connor made his own way, climbing over the wall, diagnostics telling him he suffered no more than a few scratches from the jump. It was a poorly chosen option that had a higher chance of him getting killed than it did completing his mission.

Isadora saw the deviant leaping over the edge cutting off her line of sight. Isadora, limited by the injury of the botched jump, did what she could to keep up. Connor was less than a few feet behind her, seeing the same vault the deviant made.

Coming up to the ledge, a warning appeared on her HUD.  _Jumps longer than forty feet_ _will result in further damage. Spinal column T4, T5, and T6 sustained minor damage. Landing support for upper spinal connect compromised._ She cursed, seeing the ledge lead to another glass roof over a greenhouse. She could not walk on the glass and the stress of a long jump could end up actually hurting her further. The deviant was down the glass, already making his clean escape.

Isadora sucked it up. Bent her knees, aimed forward, and fired off a jump that she knew she should not have made. Connor arrived at the ledge the second after she made her jump to clear the greenhouse and train tracks. The deviant jumped onto the front car of a passing train, using it to reach another section of the Urban Farms. Taking a fire escape, he ducked under the canopy of the tree orchard.

Flashing on her HUD in the midst of her jump told her the landing was not pretty.

She hit the rooftop hard, barely controlling her roll to stop tumbling. More red words flashed and she dismissed them, vaulted over the edge of the roof to land inside the tree orchard. The deviant already having crossed the field, she tried to sprint and found the pain blossoming from her ribs too much to maintain her top speed. She was losing the chase as Connor jumped up the fire escape following the same path the deviant took.

Clenching her jaw, she stuck it out. Jumping over another wall only to see a stretch of solar panels with a massive greenhouse ahead of her. The path through was the riskiest for her, putting her in a tight place with very little room to maneuver. Looking up she saw the edge of a catwalk that would take her over the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. She could not risk another long jump to the taller building beside them; if she took too much damage either to her armor or herself than they would likely catch her.

Theodosia checked the vitals and diagnostics of Isadora's suit, knowing she no longer in good enough shape to maintain the chase. "Meine, she needs to stop." She insisted, Isadora unable to hear her. Meine glared at the monitor, seeing his friend's progress through the chase before the RK800 jumped her. "It's not worth the risk. The android might get away, but if she pushes too hard she won't. Then it won't matter if she's there to help the android."

Mia nodded, "Stop the chase, Meine. It's over."

He ran a hand down his face, the other on his hip. He did not want it to end like this, all this way for nothing. Isadora would return injured without the android, without knowing if she was able to help at all. The truth was she did nothing to change the chase, she unintentionally compromised it due to poor planning. The moment Isadora walked in that apartment complex she was not going to get away unscathed.

"It's over, Wendigo. Cut the chase and turn back." His tone distasteful. "You can't outrun them, you can't even jump. It's too much risk, the android will have to fend for himself."

"I can make it!" Isadora snapped, "I'm almost there!" She rejected his advice, trying her best to work with an injury she did not yet know the extent of. The pain was bright, her HUD warning her of the potential damage that could come from straining further.

"That's enough! Get out of there; you won't help anyone if you get caught now. You're hurt, just come home and we can take care of it." Meine looked down, seeing the file he had been agonizing over. "If you drop the chase now, get here, we can patch you up. If you don't and you get caught, you won't be able to help Jericho. They'll have to conduct the mission without you. Do you want that?"

A few short leaps is all it took to get her on the catwalk thanks to some construction scaffolding underneath it. Her boots clanged and shook the catwalk. She kept a pace, though the run was weak she did what she could. Isadora started to hesitate.

Connor already gained on both her and the deviant, but he took the path through the greenhouse.  _Fuck._ Isadora could see him below pass her.  _He's going to beat me._  She stared as Connor sprinted through the rows of planters, dodging passed the human and android farmers.

"Wendigo!" Meine snapped her back to reality.

"I can do this... I can." She pushed harder. Heat spreading from her ribs, the heat and ache getting more difficult to work through. She gasped and hissed through each hard step forward, trying to keep the pain under control.

Connor headed towards the far double doors, Isadora coming around the catwalk just behind him.

He ran straight into a field of corn, the rows too dense for him to see through. The deviant was out of sight for them both as Isadora brought up the rear, stuck in the corn field. As he ran blind, Isadora kept up behind him using the path he made to get her through to the other side.

A voice rang out, a familiar one. Isadora tried to look through the corn. It was Hank,  _He must've gone around, tried to cut the android off._ Connor broke through the last row of corn leaving a clear exit for Isadora. Her boots clunked as she hit the concrete, skidding to a halt.  _Hank!_ She watched the deviant run away and Hank left dangling over the ledge.

Connor headed straight for Hank, barely giving the deviant a second glance as he fled the scene. Isadora raced up behind him, grabbing a hold of Hank's jacket to help pull him to safety while Connor had a firm grip on his hand. He threw his leg over the edge and they all lifted him back up. Connor was alarmed to see the hijacker beside him. He moved away prepared for a fight. Isadora followed suit, taking a defensive posture.

"Shit! Oh, shit!" Hank panted, startled by the event.

Isadora sighed deeply. She mulled over her situation though more concerned about Hank now. The man tried to get the drop on the deviant and it almost worked. Almost. Had the deviant not been so panicked he might not have shoved Hank off the edge. It did not appear directly intentional, but it was hard to tell. It appeared he meant to push Hank away and he fell over.

Hank kneeled, "Fuck! We had it!" He looked up, seeing the hijacker beside Connor. "The fuck-" He stumbled to stand up. She watched him reach for his holster, a moment of fear striking her. Hank came up empty handed. He looked at the leather holster, seeing the button undone and lacking a certain firearm. "Fuck!"

_Bad day, huh._ She visibly relaxed, no longer defensive. "Oh, uh... well then." She turned to see the retreating form of the deviant leaping over another ledge.  _Another day._ She faced Hank and Connor, tilting her head to see Hank breathing heavily. "Are you alright?" Her hand raised as if to offer support. It was a subconscious thing to do, she liked Hank. Him nearly being thrown off a roof worried her for reasons obvious.

"The hell you doing?" Hank scowled at her, he looked at the open area around them. Suspicious, Hank eyed her closely. "The fuck you still doing here? Why aren't you running off?"

She shrugged, "From what I saw helping you from a..." She leaned to look over the edge. "A five story drop." Isadora took an awkward step to the side.

Connor advanced on her, ready to bring her in as part of the mission he was so fond of. Isadora raised her hands in defense. "I know you like to jump on me, but remember the last two times you did that didn't go how you wanted. You have two options here. Fight me and I'll toss you off the roof or let me walk off into the sunset peacefully. I'd take the latter if I were you." She waited, watching the android stick to his guns. Isadora lit her bracers up, the electric arcs reminding Connor that she was still armed.

"No you won't." Connor made his deduction about this hijacker.

"No I- wait, what?" Both Isadora and Hank looked at him questioningly. Responding with aggression, Isadora snapped at him. "Bet your ass I won't put you on the ground."

He put together what he knew about this stranger. "You won't actually attack unless you're forced to. Back at the apartment, you were hiding. You didn't fight back until you were cornered. When you jumped over the greenery you held onto me so I wouldn't fall, intentionally taking the brunt of the failed jump." He made valid points. Feeling uncomfortably scrutinized, Isadora shifted on her feet while Hank gave her a strange look. "Everything you've done avoided delivering serious injury intentionally or not. You had chances to destroy me or to let the Lieutenant fall, but you refused."

"Uh... Well that's-" Interrupted like the petulant child no one wanted to listen to, Hank concurred with Connor.

"Holy shit, the android's right." The Lieutenant laughed mockingly, "You didn't kill those cops driving the transport and you only fought when you got your ass stuck. How about that." He was quite pleased with that information, knowing that this person was not a real threat.

She crossed her arms, "I don't see how that helps you at all. Doesn't tell you who I am, if I'm human or android. So what's the point?"

"Your threats are unfounded. It means if we attack you, you won't try to hurt either one of us if you can avoid it." Connor, feeling confident in his assessment, took a brave step forward. "Why? Why won't you attack?" His tone hard and confused, prodding her for information. Unintimidated, Isadora just huffed at him indignantly.

"Is that really what you want?" She resented that being what Connor would take away from this interaction. "You want me to fight like I want you dead? Why would I want to kill you, or you-" She pointed at Hank, "-or those cops driving the transport? What agenda do you think I have that involves killing innocent people."

Connor stared her down, putting whatever pieces he had. Despite his efforts, there simply was not enough evidence to explain what this person was doing.

"I'm not going to fight you. I'm going to walk away, calmly, and no one needs to  _jump_ on anyone." Isadora waved Connor off, before wagging her finger at Hank. "And you, teach him not to jump on strangers. It's dangerous, if I hadn't protected you, you could've been killed trying to jump the roof with me. If you want to hitch a ride just tell me ahead of time and I will account for your weight. Nearly fuckin' killed me!"

She turned to leave, frustrated with the two detectives.

"Wait, you-" Connor advanced, only for Hank to stick his arm out.

"What're you gonna to? Talk him into being arrested? Your hand is broken, the android got away, and he's just going to jump off the roof." The older man remarked disapprovingly. "C'mon, let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

Her car switched off, the faint hum fading as the door opened for her. She stepped out slowly, holding her side as it throbbed in pain.

The moment she started to near the door it slid open to reveal a very worried looking Theodosia who raced up to greet her. Throwing her arms around Isadora, she proclaimed her fears only to be stopped when Isadora gasped from the sudden hug. The hit and weight of Theodosia yanked her to the side, she grasped her side.

"Careful, Dosia! I'm not exactly at my best here." She grimaced quickly replaced with a trying smile meant to comfort Theodosia.

It was clear that smile was strained. "We saw everything, are you alright? Anything broken?" She quickly moved to the side, helping Isadora back into the house supporting her right arm. Appreciative, Isadora walked with her into the other androids that resided in her home looking over her.

Meine reached a hand out under her elbow to further support her towards the living room couch. "Just take it easy." He slowly lead her through the living room space. When they neared the couch her assisted her sitting down slowly, mindful of her favoring her side. Once she was leaned back, hissing her pain the entire time, he noticed her shallow breathing. "You took a hard hit straight to the T4 through T6 vertebrae. Minor damage to the suit, but you lost considerable neck and upper back protection. Vitals showed you weren't wounded, where are you hurt?" He kneeled in front of her, hands pressing all over her to find sources of pain.

Theodosia and Mia stayed nearby, in case they were needed to help recover Isadora's injuries. Meine always handled the more personal injuries and never let Theodosia or Mia help if the injury was severe enough.

"Right ribs, feels like the small rib took the most of the hit. Damn Connor, he's fucking crazy determined." She leaned back, raising her arm over the backrest of the couch so Meine could find the injury.

"We were watching when he jumped you. You should not have attempted a jump with him so close." He advised, untucking Isadora's under shirt and gently pulling it up to reveal the bruised flesh underneath. He saw the dark bruises forming, red and purple splotches scattered around her side. Meine's nose twitched seeing the damage, but refrained from showing any serious reaction to it.

"I didn't know what else to do. We were trying to keep up with the android and I just wanted to get him away. He was going to get caught, they were right on top of him. He was still in the apartment!" Isadora used her left hand to gesture her frustrations. The exaggerated hand movements meant to amuse her android companions, but their concern had been bubbling over since she made it back to the hotel to remove her armor.

Meine's fingers pressed lightly on the edge of the bruise earning a minor flinch from Isadora. His eyes flicked to her face, checking to make sure she was not withholding her pain threshold. He pressed closer and closer to the rib she suggested suffered the most damage. As he neared it he saw the muscles beneath her skin tensing, an interesting thing to watch as an android that lacked subcutaneous tissue. He was able to identify dried sweat on her skin, red blush over agitated areas like her hands, her face, and the muscles surrounding her injury.

"We'll have to take care of this. If you see them before this heals than you'll have to hide it. You can't show any signs." He reminded her. It did not need to be said, Isadora was already aware of how secretive she would need to be. Especially since after the fight with Connor she had bruises peppered all over her.

His fingers pressed on her small rib and she lurched forward surprised. "Ah! Ah, ha ha." She panted, Meine helping her lean back on the couch. "Phew! That's... really sore." She smiled brightly, a sad attempt to show her rejecting the pain.

Meine shook his head, "It didn't feel broken. It's still stable, but we'll have to get you wrapped up to keep you upright so you don't put pressure on it and make it worse. When you go back to work make sure the support brace is kept up straight, if you bend it too much you'll end up making it worse." He stood up, allowing Isadora's shirt to fall back down.

"When you're ready we'll go to the basement and work on it. For now, you need some water." Theodosia agreed and hurried to the kitchen for it. Meine putting his hands on his hips, frustrated and disturbed Isadora was so close to severe injury.

Mia took her moment to approach Isadora, a saddened look on her face, avoiding eye contact with her. Interested, Isadora gave her a playful wave to lighten the mood. "I'm sorry about what happened, Isadora. I didn't get the blueprints in time and I know that meant you were without the assistance you needed. I'm sorry."

Feeling particularly uncomfortable for Mia's apology, Isadora just shook her head. "Nothing to be sorry for. I was going to end up having to deal with them no matter what I did. Don't worry about it."

Theodosia returned with the glass of water, offering it to a thankful Isadora.

"So they just let you go?" The curious AX400 asked, sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of Isadora. "I know they knew grabbing you out in the open wasn't going to work, but it's unusual Connor didn't try to pursue you."

Isadora shrugged with only one arm, the other carefully holding a glass. "Connor's the most advanced android currently active, but he is pretty mission oriented. Like his insistence on going after that android on the highway. It took everything I had to keep him from getting himself killed. Letting me walk away... I don't know. He just... listened to Hank I guess."

"It's a little strange since he seems to ignore both yours and Hank's orders. From an android that used to listen to conflicting orders all the time, it's not the choice his programming told him to take." Theodosia explained, Meine and Mia showing their agreement.

"She's right, he should've tried to go after you anyways even if the end result was him being destroyed and you getting away anyways." Meine continued, raising a hand to his chin. He thought of the RK800 and what had to be going on in his head for him to stop his pursuit. Connor expressed some contradictory actions.

Isadora sipped the ice water, her eyes watching Meine's thoughtful expression. "So what? What does that mean?"

"They're saying he's acting outside his programming, even a little bit." Mia added.

The Myrmidon grinned, "It sounds like he deviated from his program. He intentionally chose to not go after the hijacker. After today you will absolutely be on CyberLife's most wanted list. Seeing you be active in the field uninhibited, taking deviants before their prototype android can. If they don't do it tomorrow, they'll have it done by the end of the week. We need to start getting ready, sharpen your combat abilities. We can't let them get the upper hand."

"I won't fight Connor and Hank intentionally. I'm just going to have to work around them." Isadora took a longer gulp of her water, enjoying the ice cold feeling in her stomach. It served to help cool the heat radiating from her side. Tired, Isadora set the glass on the table, thinking about what their next steps could be.

"You might have to accept that since the Lieutenant and Connor are assigned to all cases involving deviants that you will have to defend yourself against them. While Connor isn't allowed to carry a gun, Hank does. So I'd suggest keeping Hank on lock down more than Connor. You can fight an android, you can't fight a gun." Meine started making plans, deliberating with himself on what to do and how to be as effective as possible.

Wanting to avoid the seriousness of training and how dangerous going out was going to become, Isadora just laughed. "Sparring? If you wanted your ass kicked so badly you could just ask."

Meine shot her a questioning look, "Isadora, this is serious."

"I'm being serious. I don't want to have to kick your ass sparring all the time. Fuck me, I might be an egotistical jerk but that doesn't mean I want to show up my friends all the time." She kept prodding, knowing Meine was annoyed by it. He was a serious man, always trying to stay completely straight edge. Isadora kept trying to bring some mirth into his life.

Tense, Meine gauged the best approach only for Theodosia to stand up between them. "Alright, we'll I think our day is mostly done here. Once you get patched up Isadora I'll have dinner ready. You should go to bed early, sleeping helps speed up the healing process." Isadora grinned,  _Despite being free androids, they still do have some programming they listen to._ She gave the AX400 a polite nod of thanks.

"We're glad you're okay." Mia finished, leaving Meine and Isadora alone. Theodosia leading the way out of the living room.

Meine gave Isadora a dead serious look. "You're an asshole."

They stared at one another before Isadora felt laughter bubbling up from her stomach until she couldn't contain it. Meine chuckled in relief, watching Isadora laugh. Her laughter devolved to awkward laughs between hisses of pain, "Ow, fuck, ow- laughing hurts. Shut up." She saw Meine's amusement at her suffering. "Come on, android. Patch me, do your job and listen to my orders." Her tone nothing but sarcastic, holding her arms up for him to help her up.

With a smug grin, Meine crossed his arms and walked passed her. "I seem to be malfunctioning..." He walked away.

"Come back here, you bastard. I own you!" She weakly called after him, struggling between sitting up and laughing through the pain. "Damn android..." She came to an unsteady stand, slowly lifting her bruised torso up before following after him.

* * *

Connor opened his eyes, the flowery well maintained garden and pond soothing to look at. It was a welcome change from the police department or the rooftops of Detroit. Wind gently combed through the trees and tall grass, nothing ever disturbed the garden. The rain was a delicate change, no more intrusive than a strong breeze.

He looked around, trying to find the person of interest residing within the garden. Unable to see her, he started a relaxed stroll along the geometric paths. Every blade of grass perfectly cut to length, every flower petal healthy and bright. The garden smelled of a fresh spring rain, bringing to life all the scents the flowers could produce filling the air like perfume. Carrying an umbrella, he did not use it for himself.

Trees rustled as he passed, fish gliding through the water beside the path. Rain trickled down the tree trunks, over leaves, and dropping almost silently to the water below. It was a fantasy garden as peaceful as a dream.

Unfortunately, Connor was a machine and did not often note the beautiful simplicity of the garden he walked through. Instead, he focused on his target making his way to her without a single thought towards the world around him. No more than watching his footing anyway.

As he passed by the serene beauty, he spotted an odd outcropping to the left of his path. A metal object built into the ground, completely and utterly different from any surrounding designs. It stuck out like a sore thumb and he went to inspect it thoughtfully. As he neared it he saw a place to scan his hand. Placing his hand over the scanner his skin deactivated to interface with the unit.

_EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN_

The registered command he interfaced with made him recoil in surprise. His LED flashing a bright yellow for just a moment before he backed away from the device. It was a strange thing, an emergency shut down out here. He was not entirely sure if shut down meant to escape the garden, deviate, or self destruct. He was not too keen on finding out as none of those options appealed to him.

Turning towards his path again he looked to the platform he approached, the familiar figure of a woman in a long white and silver tunic, a golden shawl over her shoulder. Her gaze fell to Connor approaching from across the pond an umbrella in hand. She was sheltered below the false tree waiting for him to bring her further shelter from the rain.

"Hello, Amanda." Connor greeted politely, rather formally as he treated her between a confidant and a business partner.

"Connor, I've been expecting you. Do you mind if we walk?" She suggested. The android drenched in the rain water pulled up the umbrella to hold above her. She took the lead and he followed her, looking to hear her advice. "That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case..." Her head turned to him, disapproval evident. "A pity you didn't manage to capture it."

"I have no excuse, I should've been more efficient." Connor kept his eyes straight accepting blame for a blameless result. Though neither he nor Amanda saw it that way.

"Did you manage to learn anything?" Her chosen words designed to reference he didn't  _manage_ to capture the deviant, but perhaps he  _managed_  something at the very least. She was critical of him, of his every function. If there was no progress to capture the deviant than she could try to urge him in the right direction.

"I found its diary, but it was encrypted. It may take weeks to decipher." He recalled finding it in a hole in the wall of the apartment, poorly hidden behind an Urban Farms of Detroit poster that stood out among the ruined building. The books every page was filled, layered one on top of the other with writing and sketches of mazes and scrawlings of rA9.

"What else?"

Deciding to mention the diary was not the only source, he brought up the condition of the apartment. "The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols. Like other deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9." The mystery of rA9 seemed to grow more prevalent as the days went by, but the meaning never any clearer. He tried to solve that puzzle and came up with nothing.

"You came very close to capturing that deviant..." She leered over him, her critical eye now open to him. "... and the android hijacker." Connor spared Amanda a look meant to be stoic, unreadable. "How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?"

"He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof. He didn't say anything but he expressed it in his own way." Though he was quite pleased about that situation, the outcome of saving Hank, he did contain his satisfaction when Hank thanked him in that convoluted way he normally expressed emotion.

Amanda's hard look chilled for a moment, looking less critical and more like icy daggers. "What is your opinion on the hijacker? You fought with the suspect, even talked to them."

A question shrouded by something more difficult to read, Connor thought of his words as carefully as he could while being honest. "The hijacker appears to have morals as evidenced by them not harming anyone. Unfortunately, I could not discern what the hijacker is or, if they are human, who they could be. I have the recording of their voice but it is too well disguised."

She offered no immediate response, only walking down the path quietly until she found another curiousness to target. "Why didn't you go after the hijacker on the roof? You knew they were injured by the jump, you had a chance to capture them."

"I believe the Lieutenant was correct. Any attempt to capture the hijacker on an open roof would be fruitless. They seem to be wearing some kind of armor that allows them to jump beyond human and android capabilities, but also be able to land from great heights. I do not believe I could have done anything at that point to stop them. I believe our best chance is to corner them in an enclosed space, remove the possibility of using those apparatuses as an escape." He detailed a plan he was formulating, though still entirely unsure how to make it come to fruition.

Being that this zen garden existed within Connor's programming, Amanda criticized him; knowing he was not telling her the whole truth. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly before dropping the topic for the time being.

Choosing not to comment further on Connor's comments, Amanda paused on the bridge. "We don't have much time. Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes."

"I will solve this investigation, Amanda. I won't disappoint you." He emphasized his commitment, but Amanda felt a seed of doubt entering the shared space.

She passed him by, ending their conversation. Connor watched her leave him behind on the bridge, desperate to understand what was coming and how to get ahead of the curve. The deviants were growing, the hijacker now taking an active role with them; he was limited by the very people who made him.

What could he do?

_What can I do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> Starting to release some of the early sketches for AlonAI Law and will be publishing more as time goes on.  
> If you wanna start seeing me poorly draw DBH characters and the OCs from this story, check it out here:  
> [Barking Raccoon](http://thebarkingraccoon.tumblr.com/)


	16. Arīḥā

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jericho makes their first move and they make an unexpected discovery.  
> Isadora is bad at not getting hurt.

Markus always seemed to take the lead, the android more driven than the others. While they claimed he had only been with Jericho a single day, he did not act like that. Isadora acknowledged that Markus was becoming a de facto leader despite that fact. She knew what model he was, she knew who owned him, and why his model was not opened for sale like the others.

In the same way Connor is unique, Markus is as well. An RK200 prototype developed as a specialized gift to an individual of renown. All CyberLife employees that operated directly with androids knew of all the unique models released or in use. Though the RK200 had a finalized product, Markus was not the same. Elijah Kamski,  _The bastard,_  Isadora twitched, developed an android as a 'thank you' to Carl Manfred; an extremely highly regarded artist. Someone of weight that, when the gift was given, also served as an impressive comparative that robotics had finally transcended simple robotic tasks and become something entirely new. In Elijah's eyes, and the eyes of many others, androids were an art form.

She understood why as remarkable as they were, there were still many faults the brightest minds at CyberLife had not yet solved. What was completed was enough to create life and, eventually, that life will be able to create itself. An android  _android_ designer.  _What a day that'll be_. She viewed the scene in her head,  _The day an android is taught how to construct an android. I hope I get to be there for it._  The idea excited her. She could teach a new people, a new generation, how to create themselves.

Though it would be an incredible opportunity to experience teaching life to another, she had to make sure she was alive to see it. A lot could go wrong from point A to point B. Where they were now came to mind, a single misstep here and they could all be caught and killed.

Isadora stood beside a shipping crate, the rain soaking her to her very core. The damage to her suit was repaired, but her body could not be fixed so easily. The icy cold rain and night air made her abused joints ache making her aware of just how much was harmed during that botched jump.  _Damn, Connor._ She huffed, shifting on her feet trying desperately to keep warm.

She remained by the crates, watching the water for the Jericho leadership, Isadora walked the shipping yard freely. This happened to be a CyberLife owned yard and she, technically, was allowed there. Being caught meant nothing right now, seeing that she was not doing anything suspicious. When they started to steal supplies... then they would have a problem. She could be dropped by a gunshot like anyone else.

Hoping this did not become the case, she recounted her entrance to the docks. A few drones she deactivated, but nothing else out of the ordinary. The only guards would be out front - the usual direction trouble would come from. They did not anticipate androids arriving from the water.

As they emerged, drenched more so than Isadora, they looked over the cargo dock. She was aware of them, they had not yet seen her. North was the first to entered the docks, anxious to get this plan moving. The thought of attacking a CyberLife  _anything_ provided North with a powerful purpose.

Isadora rounded the cargo containers, crossing the road once an autonomous truck passed by. The androids watched her relaxed approach.

"What are you doing?" She heard Josh question her, but was cut off when Markus approached Isadora looking her over.

She gave Markus a firm nod, "Path is clear to the warehouse. I deactivated the drones that would make their patrol over the area. We should be able to do this, undisturbed. Keep an eye out for guards."

Markus glanced down the road, seeing a few people and androids in the distance too far away to notice them. "Then we'll go between the cargo containers, lessens our chance of being spotted."

"Alright, follow me." North took point, hurrying towards the containers with the group behind her. Isadora ran beside Simon and Josh, looking out for the back of the group while they cut through.

North seemed to know generally where to go, she weaved through the container paths as if she had been here before. Instead of going by ground, as Markus suggested, she took a higher route over a flatbed of containers in mid transport to their respective warehouses. As the group climbed, Isadora winced at how loud running and jumping over metal containers both full and hollow would be.

She took a side path, going around the containers while the androids took to them like a jungle gym. Watching them was quite impressive, their physical ability on a base level was always higher than the average human. In this way, androids were undoubtedly stronger than their human counterparts. Isadora, however, was favored with her suit giving her the edge over modern androids.

It would be difficult for one android to take her on, still considerably challenging for three. Looking at Markus, Simon, Josh, and North - she still knew to watch her own back. It was unlikely for an android to turn, but being human might complicate things. Androids were young, curious beings that needed space to flourish. They would learn how alike to mankind they really are.

Isadora had no issues keeping pace wandering through the cargo boxes. A few detours to avoid workers; nothing that would compromise them. The Jericho leaders took a jump, holding onto a cargo crate being delivered further down the docks. It took them safely over a well lit area with human operators. Isadora just walked around, unnoticed. Boots or not, the noise of the docks and the clang of her boots mixed naturally. No one was able to pick out the sound.

Quite pleased, Isadora paused at the opening to the CyberLife warehouse shipping and receiving docks. A few automated trucks being loaded by more automated services. No one was here, it was storming, and the lights were dimmed from the rain. It was perfect, audio and visual coverage from anyone passing by.

 _They really couldn't make this place less secure if they tried..._ She grinned, approaching the warehouse parking lot with the androids coming up behind her.

"Here it is."

"Quick, open the other crates and fill your bags. Take as much as you can." The group hurried towards the crates left out beside one of the trucks, piles of CyberLife top of the line quality parts and components. She had been here once before, on task as a hunter. She came to this warehouse to overlook a miscount in supplies which ended up being the fault of an automated truck that drove itself into the lake.  _Brilliant tech._

She opened up her bag, cracked a crate, and began loading supplies. A few critical organ components useless without enough thirium to give them life. It appeared Markus was already on the case having found a crate loaded with thirium blood bags, meant largely for minor repairs and refilling androids that suffered damage. All together it was enough to make three whole androids, but it was plenty for minor to major repairs.

Noting the blue blood, Isadora finished with her crate having grabbed as much as her pack could carry. The organ components were less likely to be taken by the others as they would not know how to install them on another android. Isadora did and she was sure to keep them well stocked.

Brushing passed Markus, she came to look in a few ransacked crates making a mental list of what was taken. It would be useful later, especially if anyone took more than they could give.

"Alright, I got as much as I can carry." She spun on her heel, surprised to run directly into Simon's back. He did not even look at her. With a hand on his shoulder she looked ahead of him to see a GJ500 standing there, LED blinking furiously. "Oh..."

"You are trespassing on private property. Your presence constitutes a level 2 infraction. I will notify security immediately." The android passed the group, standing in the midst of the robbers without a concern for his well being. Isadora was unsure what they wanted to do about this.

"Markus?" She hissed just as she picked up the sounds of footsteps coming from around the crates.

"John!"

She snapped her head to see the silhouette of a man approaching, fortunately looking in the wrong direction. In a split second decision her hand on Simon's shoulder tightened and she pulled him down behind the crate with her. Hiding in such an open area almost never worked, but she hoped this dock worker was not looking for anyone or anything.

Her body hovered over Simon's, an arm braced against the crate beside them with the other still holding him back. Sharing a glance, Simon and Isadora stayed down. John was gone, the others also hiding, she wondered what exactly was going on. The worker neared the area, a flashlight indicating exactly where he was looking. Between the crates, the worker neared a knife left laying on the ground.

"John!"

Every step she heard made her tenser.  _Do I have to knock this guy out? Is that the plan here?_ She didn't want to, but if there was no choice. Simon and Isadora both recoiled when the light shone directly on their crate making it obvious he was heading towards them.

"There you are. What the hell are you doing?" The flashlight turned away and they could see the man looking at someone else.

The GJ500, John, stepped up. "I was inspecting the platform. Everything is in order."

"Good, then I'm heading back to the control station. I'm soaked." The man completely failed to notice the androids directly beside him crouched between the crates. "Take the drone to maintenance and make a report." He turned and left the android standing there, oblivious.

"Understood." John lied. Isadora smiled,  _Good on ya._ She stood up slowly, checking to make sure there was no one else around. Simon came up behind her offering a look of relief. They barely managed to avoid being caught there, another second to late and so many things could go wrong.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here." They began to finish filling their bags, Isadora quite content with hers.

Until she saw a black crate around the side of the CyberLife loading dock. Printed in holographic lettering  _CyberLife_  and something below it. Curious, Isadora parted from the group. Rounding the stack of crates she watched for dock workers and carefully made her way to the side of the building. Thunder cracked behind her, keeping her boots muted. She was interested in why CyberLife stored this one apart from the others.

Nearing the crate she read the additional lettering on the electronic tag.  _CyberLife imports: Undisclosed parts. Prototype RK series._  She gaped at the crate.  _They're bringing in the parts already? For RK800 replacements or RK900? There's no other RK projects active._ Her curiosity won out and she looked for a way to open the crate. Unlike the other common part orders, this crate had dual dead bolts locking it.

There was a scanner on it designed to accept any CyberLife employee authorized for operation on the RK series. Isadora raised her gloved hand, the metal phalanges brushing together as she twitched her fingers in thought.  _I am authorized..._  Her eyes rested on the scanner. Rowan gave her clearance to work directly with the RK developers. She could likely open this crate.  _It will log me as the user that opened it. They would know I was here this night..._

"Bad idea." The usual voice of reason chimed. "You open that crate and they'll know you were here." Meine was always watching, keeping a close eye on the situations Isadora found herself in. He wanted to protect her from herself most of all. Confident in her combat mastery he did not often find himself worried when she found herself in a fight, but her impulse control was lacking. In this situation, it would compromise her.

"I know. I just want to know what's in there. What are they shipping? RK800's or RK900 parts?" She ran the metal claws down the front of the crate, leaving small surface marks.

Meine inspected the crate, nothing to note about the casing. "But opening it is stupid. Don't do it."

"I'm not going to, I'm not that dumb." Isadora chuckled, taking a step away from the crate leaving it with a tap of her finger. Whatever was inside she could request later when she got back to CyberLife. With permission to see inside the RK900 production she would be able to look into most of the information and progress currently made. Eventually she would have to commit to the project more since Rowan expected her to.

Markus, having brought a line of AP700's in to the mix, was satisfied with their take. The crates were not empty, but Jericho would no go without life saving equipment another night. The success of the mission now rested on being able to escape the area with their haul. That is, until John spoke up.

"I know where you can find more spare parts." All too happy to reveal the information, John was excited to be free with Jericho.

"What do you mean?"

John, a smile still plastered on his face, gestured towards the autonomous vehicle beside them. "The trucks, they're full of biocomponents. They run on auto pilot, but they can be manually driven with a key." Another vehicle on the far side of the lot began to move, loaded full of valuable parts. John had caught on rather quickly, using his insider knowledge of the CyberLife warehouse for them.

Markus stepped forward, "Where is this key?"

Quickly, John passed through the androids and pointed towards the gatehouse. "Down there, in the control station. There are two human guards. You'll have to get the key without being noticed." His tone lowered at the end, aware of how dangerous the task was.

"This is suicide, Markus. Our bags are full. We got what we came for, let's go before they catch us."

"This is a truck full of spare parts... There'd be enough for all of us. We can't pass this up!"

"And if we get killed, our people will have nothing. We can't take that chance. It's too risky!"

Markus ended the arguing with a solid tone, "Wait here. If I'm not back within ten minutes go without me." A decision that could not be undone once he entered the gatehouse. The chances he would get in and out without being caught were slim, especially when his experience with stealth was null. He began to make his way to the gatehouse, to be stopped by North.

"I'm coming with you!" Her desire to risk her life for Jericho meant she was no coward, but her planning needed some work.

"No, it's not worth risking both of our lives." Markus held her back, yet he did make sense. It was risky and they needed the supplies. Markus headed towards the building, leaving the androids to wait by the crates. The rain collected heavier and heavier, masking the group effectively. While Josh was against going for the key, he found respect for Markus by doing so; willing to put himself on the line for their people.

John, wanting to be an asset now, turned to the crates and began taking a few extra packs of thirium. The AP700's following his lead though they were not able to carry much.

They remained near the truck, waiting in the rain. "Ten minutes..." Josh muttered, feeling a desperate need to get out of this warehouse. The longer they remained, the worse it would be, the likelihood of being caught went up. Stressed, though glad to see new faces joining Jericho, Josh was anxious more so than the others. Seeing the distressed android, Simon approached him with a hand on his shoulder. They shared a moment of understanding before Simon moved on.

John went to close the crates, hiding evidence of their robbery until the crates were delivered of course. Were any of the workers so inclined they might check the weight of the crates, but in his experience it was unlikely. The missing parts would be discovered upon final delivery.

New to life, the AP700's stuck close to their new allies. Their identical uniforms making the other androids uneasy around them. It was strange to see factory fresh androids, they reminded the Jericho leaders that they were once the same.

As the collection of androids waited for Markus' return, Wendigo approached them. The telltale clangs of metal boots on the asphalt attracted their attention. Unconcerned, they watched her approach and welcomed her back. Simon was the first to speak up, seeing Wendigo standing before them all. Her head turned to count the androids standing around; Simon figured Wendigo noticed one of them gone. "Markus went inside to get the key to this truck. Thanks to John, we might have a chance to bring enough supplies to help everyone."

Wendigo's mask zeroed in on Simon. The center aperture retracted and shut tightly. The red light radiating from the mask's aperture gave off a strange disconcerting glow.

Inside gatehouse A, Markus held a screwdriver in his hands. He did not want to fight the guards as that would introduce a risk factor he wanted to avoid at all costs. He watched the guards while he crept towards the server panel. Armed with a screwdriver, he gently opened the server case door. His eyes never leaving the guards as he pulled back, screwdriver in both hands.

He steeled himself and drove the tool into the server, sparks flying as the lights flicked out.

Urgently, he dodged away from the panel listening to the guards curse. He ducked behind another half wall, using the shadows to his benefit. The flashlight came on and the guards headed for the servers, seeings sparks snapping wildly. Not wanting to touch it barehanded, one of the guards went to the maintenance room to fetch rubber gloves. Markus took this as his chance.

Standing in front of the operator's console, he saw the key slotted in place. Checking to see the guards still busy, he took the key, spying the brightly flashing screen. An alert flashed in red lettering displayed on the operator desk.

_Hunter operating on site: Felicia Gardner #12-C, first term contract. Myrmidon #883-913-673 "Bo"  
_

His brows furrowed, curious what this line meant. Looking down the console, every screen displayed it. Various information script below it, but the words were clearly meant to be important. Backing away from the console carefully, Markus heard the guards talking and decided he had waited enough time. Turning around, he took the same path out of the gatehouse.

Slipping out a bathroom window and back into the rain, Markus came to rejoin the rest of his group. He saw them all standing together, looking at Wendigo ahead of them. He slowed down as he neared Wendigo's back, confused as to why she stood there in the open, he came up beside her. Simon spotted the key in Markus' hand and smiled. "Good work." He commented quietly. "Let's get out of here."

"Wendigo?" Josh waved her along, "You there?" He prodded almost jokingly

Markus' hand reached out, resting on her arm. Her head turned, looking at him with great curiosity. The aperture flexed, narrowing at it met his eyes.

"Uh..." The clang of boots reached their ears. North looked towards the crates, seeing the familiar masked person they had arrived with. Still armored up, Wendigo approached cautiously. North's eyes widened, seeing Markus standing beside someone with identical apparel. The two looked at each other, the tension growing around them like a ticking bomb.

Shocked, Markus backpedaled away from the stranger now entirely sure it was not who he believed.

"Wendigo." An unfamiliar voice from the masked individual spoke. It stepped forward, hand tapping the aperture on its face. Pinkish skin, strings of loose auburn hair, and warm brown eyes looked back at them. "That must be you." Her voice was hard, an anger burning in her eyes as Wendigo stood brashly in front of her.

Isadora blinked, unsure how to continue this. "Yeah... that's me."

Meine dropped his head on the desk, banging it lightly. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"What's your name?" The hunter asked, aware this individual was wearing a hunters armor but that did not mean they were a hunter. The glare from this woman detailed to them all this was a bad situation. Markus stuck with the other androids, keeping back to watch the exchange between Wendigo and this stranger.

Wendigo shrugged, "Seems like you already know my name."

"Wendigo isn't a name." She sounded entirely unamused by Isadora's antics.

"Well, who are you?" Isadora gauged what to do.

Meine's head shot up from the desk, hair disheveled, expression blank. "You'll have to fight her. We don't have a choice, she isn't going to let you go. You have to fight so that they can get away." He hated the idea, hated everything about the position this forced them into. He groaned, hands running over his face. Nothing compared to this, he always hated this part of the job.

"Patrol hunter for sector B and C of Detroit." Isadora winced,  _Felicia..._  "Felicia Gardner. Approved and authorized for field work by CyberLife. Now who are you, how did you get that armor, and what the hell are you doing with a group of deviants robbing a CyberLife warehouse?" She knew a lot already, but not too much. Felicia was gearing up for a fight if the now sparking gauntlets were any sign.

"You have to do this, Wendigo. You have to give them the chance to get away." Meine enforced, knowing the conflict Isadora felt having to fight someone with the intention of harming them. So many fights between Isadora and a deviant, or other individuals; she always had a way to avoid injuring anyone. There was some tool, some device, often having plenty of time to plan ahead.

She had no time to organize anything out here. "I'm me, Wendigo." A poor attempt at a laugh came out wracked with nervous guilt. "We're... just... getting some..." Her head turned to the androids, seeing the look of worry on their faces, "Ah fuck it."

Isadora threw the first punch and Felicia was quick to block it. She bent over, raising a boot to Felicia's stomach and coiling the spring to kick her back. Her boots ground into the asphalt, a splash of water behind her. Isadora reached her hand towards the androids, "Go! I'll keep her off us." They took her advice and headed for the truck, Markus lingering a moment longer before unlocking the vehicle.

Felicia charged hard forward, using her boots to lunge towards the stationary Isadora.

"Remember, you've been doing this longer. You got this!" Meine started a short pep talk, pumping Isadora for another fight. The injury to her side would restrict certain movements, but she had fought with worse and still came out on top. He knew she had the strength and ability, now it was all about delivering the final blow. A fear that Felicia would have to die if she found out who Wendigo was threatened to shatter Meine's thoughts, but he remained focused for Isadora's sake.

Though the hunter was smaller and did not have the physical strength Isadora had from years of training, she was incredibly fast on her feet. She countered Isadora's greater reach by keeping low, focusing more on Isadora's footwork rather than meeting the stronger woman fist to fist.

She ducked down, jutting one boot out to try and trip Isadora. An easy enough attack to dodge, Isadora just hopped backwards out of range. She did not expect Felicia to be fast enough to stop mid swing, using her hands to throw her body towards Isadora. Her boot tips hit Isadora in the stomach, causing her prior injury to flare up burning her side in throbs of pain.

With the brace on, Isadora could not utilize her flexibility. She would have to fight Felicia's speed with brute force. Not the most elegant way to fight, but it would get this hunter out of the way.

The truck pulled out of the dock, the Jericho androids and their new allies safely inside to escape the warehouse. Markus focused on driving, but Simon and North in the cab watched the fight going on as they passed by. Felicia continued to dodge from Isadora's range, every punch, backhand, or lunge was met with a jump away. She maintained her speed like a professional until she realized the deviants were escaping in a truck.

Her task was always clear. Deviant hunter.

Felicia left Isadora confused as she bolted after the truck. Her boots announcing her approach to the androids driving. Markus looked out the rearview, seeing the offending hunter running up to catch them. He pushed the truck harder, but it was no match for a free runner. Isadora chased her, gaining speed faster than the newbie hunter. Her inexperience with her gear would end up being her most glaring weakness.

Isadora lurched forward, letting her boots coil for another long jump by the time she hit the ground again. Sending her straight forward, she caught up to the hunter. Felicia could just barely see Isadora on her heels, setting her boots for a jump to get to the truck before Isadora could grab her. She hit the truck's cargo carrier with a loud bang, the androids inside the carrier looked up to see small dents where she landed.

"Don't let her stop that truck!" Meine yelled a fistful of now crumpled papers in his hands.

"Wasn't planning on it." Isadora prepared her own jump as she watched Felicia crawl towards the driver cab. The truck wavered a bit, Markus, North, and Simon all seeing Felicia hanging over the windshield. Isadora landed on the back end of the carrier, holding onto the ledge to keep herself on top. More dents appeared, the androids within jumping as they heard Isadora's boots bang up the length of the cargo carrier.

Felicia reached down, slamming her forearm against the windshield. Seeing as it did nothing to the glass, she tried to bring two arms down only to be grabbed by her cloak. Isadora yanked her backwards, Felicia's back arching as she struggled to find a grip on anything. Isadora wound her hand up in the metal woven material, it caught on her gloves making her grip stronger.

Pushing herself up from her knees, Felicia managed a stumbling hop back onto her feet in a crouched position. Isadora stood up pulling her back further and Felicia fell onto her back below Isadora. Drawing her free hand free, Isadora pulled back and hit Felicia, beginning a torrent of hits as Felicia fought to block. Using her gauntlets to protect her face, she activated the tasers and Isadora was forced to back off.

With her hand caught in Felicia's cloak, she could not move far. Felicia's arm swung to the side, the prongs of her gauntlet nicking Isadora's arm sending electric shocks through the muscle. Her arm recoiled on its own, the muscle tensing to the point she could not control it. With a howl, Isadora used her seized arm to lift Felicia from the carrier and haul her over her own body, right off the edge of the truck.

Her arm snapped straight, pulled hard by Felicia's body weight Isadora heard a notable  _pop_  and her arm screamed. "Ah- fuck!" She was forced to follow Felicia, leaning near the edge of the truck. Felicia had caught herself and got her footing on the side of the truck. Her head turned to the driver side of the truck and she took a knife from her belt, using it to shred the garment through to release Isadora's hand and give her the freedom to go after the deviants.

With her arm still seizing, Isadora did her best to follow. Felicia grabbed onto the driver side cab door seeing Markus look at her through the window. She drew back, using the knife handle to make her fist stronger, she hit the glass. This time, with better angle and a sturdier fist, the glass began to crack. She hit it again, the crack spreading across the entire pane.

Coiling a single boot, Isadora spun around and fired the brace towards Felicia's head. A hit that, had it connected, would likely have killed the woman. Alerted to this murderous intent, Felicia leaned back as the boot's brace shot out. Her hand grabbed onto the kneepad of her boot, throwing her weight to bring Isadora down with her.

Without the ability to use both her hands, Isadora was completely at Felicia's mercy. She fell from the top of the truck, one hand holding onto the edge of the truck roof to keep her on. Her right arm finally beginning to spur back in her control though it was strained.

The truck hit a hard right turn, taking a road out of the shipyard and onto service streets. Isadora and Felicia held onto the truck as it made the hard turn. Once it straightened out Felicia left the driver side, her clawed glove scratching on the windshield as she used the prongs on her gauntlet to crack into the glass.

"Come on, Wendigo! If she gets to them, she'll kill them. All it takes is one good hit from those tasers and she'll short them out." Meine urged, "Move!" He snapped at her, trying to get Isadora to do something.

Aching, her body already in enough pain, she found her left arm was largely useless. The pull from her arm bloomed in pain the longer it went on. Though her hand was responding weakly, her shoulder was not.  _Dislocated, fuck it hurts!_ She gritted her teeth. With the arm useless, she had to fight a bit more creatively. Isadora knocked the glass and Markus responded by glancing at her.

He could tell which one was which at this point, seeing the one on the windshield trying to break in. He swerved the truck, trying to shake her off only serving to slow her down. Isadora pointed at the door and Markus caught her gist. He unlocked the door, allowing it to slide open for Isadora to enter.

"Move!" She pushed Markus up, his foot off the pedal the truck lost speed. Isadora squished herself between the androids, her boots coiling for a major jump. She let the brace build pressure, her ankles bending preparing for a long jump. Felicia saw her enter, saw the door close and lock behind her. Odd, she figured, why would she go inside the cab? The tight space made it difficult to get in position, but Isadora barely managed in time.

Isadora leaned back, pressing her boots on the inside of the cab windshield. Felicia paused, the boots on either side would smash the glass, but could also send Felicia flying if not kill her taking a direct hit even through the strong glass. Felicia pulled back, trying to yank the sharp prongs of her gauntlet from the glass.

The braces fired, snapped forward with more power than necessary. The glass shattered, the androids covering themselves while it rained around them. Felicia tried to lean back from the hit, the glass panes heavier than she anticipated. Heavy duty glass meant for vehicles was much heavier than regular glass meant Felicia did not prepare for just how hard it would hit. Falling backwards, Felicia's arms flailed to keep her upright. Isadora grabbed the steering wheel and weaved the truck side to side, hearing the tires clip the curb and squeal. Unable to hold on, Felicia fell from the truck.

An unpleasant bump from the truck bouncing as it ran over the hunter, shaking the cab. Isadora made a disgusted noise, but knew that it was the end of it. She fell back into the seat, unaware of her body partially resting on Simon which had pushed North into the door. Her legs limb on the dash, just barely hanging out the windshield. Speckles of Falicia's blood on her fist, she figured she had broken the woman's nose.

Not that it mattered much now, either she was dead or not waking up for a while. A truck this size would crush her even with the armor. They would not see Felicia again.

Isadora knew that hunter was not used to her suit, she was completely incapable of using the suit's advantages in the fight. She was likely a hunter fresh off the trainee block. Evidenced by her operating in the Detroit sectors since this is where all hunters start out in.

Unbeknownst to Isadora, Meine had lit up the bike and started the two hour drive into the city. He knew she was hurt, though it was not life threatening getting home was going to be far too difficult. She needed to stay a night out of the house, to rest and recuperate. Cursing, he knew her previous injury was too much to try fighting again. With a fractured rib even pain killers and that brace wouldn't help her in a tight situation.

Now it was worse, her suit reported the dislocated shoulder as it happened. He needed to be there for her.

Though the fighting happened in front of them, the androids were still shocked at the events that transpired. North shifted off the door, pushing Simon, which shoved Isadora more into Markus. She tasted blood and hissed in pain as her arm was moved harshly. "Ah! Oh fuck, shit." She grabbed her right arm, protecting it from further abuse. Simon's eyes widened. Seeing the cause and reaction of pain.

Something androids did not have.

"Wendigo...?" He spoke quietly, Markus sharing the same realization.

North saw her holding her arm, stiff with pain. "You're human." Her eyes wandered over the body of Wendigo, noting the spots of blood on her fist, and the defensiveness humans exhibited when faced with pain. A sensation no android had yet to understand, but knew the effects on the human body. She watched, unsure what to say.

A strained chuckle from Isadora, she just grunted as she tried to lean up. Concerned about their discovery. While North was conflicted, Simon acted. He reached for Isadora's arm gently. "It's okay, let me help." He offered. Isadora was stunned to see him push aside the new found information to help her. "I don't know what's wrong, but we'll figure it out when we get back to Jericho, alright?"

Isadora nodded, "D-Dislocated shoulder and tased same arm. Fucked it up good." She let Simon do as he wanted. Taking her arm up slowly, Simon tried his best to be careful. As he moved it outwards, trying to keep her arm from being jostled around in the cab, Isadora writhed. "AH! Dammit-" Simon flinched. "It's okay, it's okay! Just, fuck, I need a moment. Emet, are you there?"

"I'm here, on my way to Jericho now." Meine answered instantly.

"Dislocated shoulder, muscle seizing-" She tried to do what she was supposed to, report her injuries immediate to prep for medical treatment.

Meine stopped her, "I know, I saw the read outs before I left. Just get to Jericho and stay down until I get there. I got what we need to fix it." He raced through the country roads, rain freezing the air around him. "It's not going to feel good, so hold on."

"Emet's on his way to Jericho, he's going to take care of it. Gotta deal with it until then." She sucked in air sharply, trying to relax the twitching muscles in her arm. Simon kept her arm on his lap, held by his own arm to keep the rock of the cab from disturbing her.

"Did you miss it?" North asked mostly to Markus and Simon. "You're human, you said you were a Trojan."

Isadora nodded fervently, "Yup, that was lie." She admitted straight, no sense of hiding it anymore. "Emet is an android, he is a Myrmidon. You can see for yourself when he gets here, but I'm human; nothing but organic flesh and red blood in this body." She calmed her breathing, still suffering the lightning pain of pulled muscle and tendons in her shoulder.

"Why did you lie?" Simon asked, a genuine expression of sympathy told her he was concerned about the pain she was in, but wanted to know the truth.

Reaching with her good arm, she patted Simon's shoulder closest to her. "Emet and I didn't want to scare anyone. We knew Jericho existed for a while, but never had the need to seek it out. HK400 didn't deserve to die for defending himself - we just wanted to help him." Her eyes screwed shut and she shook her head, as if trying to shake the pain from her body like sweat. "Worried ya' might bolt if you knew a human knew where you were hiding."

Markus glanced to her for a second. "We'll talk about this later, let's just get back."


End file.
